Innovative Projects Aim to Aid Almond Growers and Environment

I wanted to share two partnerships initiated by the Almond Board of California (ABC) that I think will benefit Blue Diamond’s growers and the rest of the almond industry. These projects offer solutions to our climate and water challenges. As ABC committee members, Blue Diamond is fully engaged in helping to execute these ideas to maximize the benefits for our grower-owners.

ABC is working with partners including the Environmental Defense Fund on a program that would give almond growers greater access to greenhouse gas markets like those under California’s cap-and-trade program, potentially allowing growers to sell carbon credits. Funded by grants from the USDA and CDFA, the new project builds on nearly 10 years of funding by ABC to improve nitrogen management and better understand greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly nitrous oxide, from almond orchards. The is the first large-scale pilot project investigating the potential for generating GHG credits from nutrient management practices in growing almonds.

The second project features a partnership between ABC, UC Davis and the nonprofit group Sustainable Conservation, who, historically, works closely with California Farmers to promote economically feasible environmental solutions. The partnership will focus on exploring the potential of California’s one million acres of almond orchards to recharge Central Valley groundwater. Groundwater recharge would flood almond orchards with excess seasonal storm water that would seep into the underground aquifers that together comprise California’s largest water storage system.

Learn more at next week’s Almond Conference in Sacramento.