The Dark Side of Almond Use

Last Modified: Fri May 29 2015 15:39:54 GMT+0530 (India Standard Time)
  • 80 %
    California's groves supply 80 percent of the global almond harvest
  • 44 %
    Land in California dedicated to growing almonds
  • 4,816 million
    Value of California's annual almond harvest in US dollars
  • 2.1 billion pounds
    California farmers will reap a record 2.1 billion pounds of almonds this year as per USDA estimates
  • 1.1 gallons
    Each almond requires 1.1 gallons of water to produce
  • 1 million
    Cost in US dollars, of a single 2,500 ft bore well needed to supply water to the groves
  • 11 inches per year
    In almond-intensive San Joaquin Valley, the ground has been sinking by an average of 11 inches per year, a 2013 US Geological Survey study found, due to over-pumping of aquifers
  • 1.6 million
    The industry requires 1.6 million bee colonies to pollinate its almond trees
  • 25 %
    25 percent of the beehives in almond groves suffered severe damage during the bloom, ranging from complete hive collapse to dead and deformed brood due to pesticides
Posted by Yatin Dhareshwar in Environment
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Source Cactus Media