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DroughtandFoodInsecurity1.pdf

DELTA AND GOLD COUNTRY TRAINING AND RESOURCE CENTER

THE COUNTIES OF THE DELTA AND GOLD COUNTRY SERVICE AREA ARE: Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento,

San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba.

FOOD INSECURITY AND THE

CALIFORNIA DROUGHT BROAD CONTEXT

No other drought has severely affected the state of California within the past century like the 2014 drought.1-3 In 2014, California faced

its third year of drought, which tightened resources statewide. Agriculture, businesses and residents alike faced losses caused by the

state’s water deficit. One important implication of the drought is the increase in food insecurity in California’s low-income communities.

Food insecurity is defined by the United States Department of Agriculture as “a household-level economic and social condition of

limited or uncertain access to adequate food”.4 This factsheet highlights how the drought has impacted food production for farmers and

the current programs being implemented to address rising food insecurity in the Delta and Gold Country service area.

CALIFORNIA’S WATER D ISTRIBUTION SYSTEM AND THE DROUGHT

California receives the majority of its water from two sources: reservoirs and snowpack. Over recent years, water supplied by both of these sources has plummeted (Figure 1).5 California farmers receive their water allocations from the Federal Central Valley Project (CVP) of the U.S Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamations (USBR) or from the State Water Project (SWP) of the California Department of Water Resources (DWR). As a result of California’s water shortage, both the SWP and CVP decreased farmers’ water allocation by 88 percent, which impacted all 58 counties.6 91 percent of the counties were classified as exceptionally and extremely impaired, while the remaining counties were classified as severely impeded.6

During the summer of 2014, the CVP and SWP stopped providing water to farmers without senior water rights and allocated 0 percent water to Central Valley and Sacramento Valley contractors.8

As a result, 15,000 farmers were left without water to farm.8 This resulted in farmers having to find alternative ways to acquire water or forced them to fallow part of their land and/or sell crop water to subsidize their income. Ultimately, California has seen an increase in idle farmland, agricultural job losses, business losses and unemployment. Both residents and agricultural workers alike have been impacted by job lay-offs and even displacement. In some cases, residents have had limited or no access to safe potable water.

“The three-year period between fall 2011 and fall 2014 was the driest since recordkeeping began in 1895...” State of the Climate: Drought for January 2015 NOAA National Climactic Data Center 7

DELTA AND GOLD COUNTRY SERVICE AREA 2

Figure 1 Statewide Water Levels and State Water Project (SWP) Allocation for California

AGRICULTURAL WORKERS AND THE DROUGHT FOOD ASSI STANCE PROGRAM (DFAP )

The competition for groundwater among residents and farmers has increased along with agriculture prices, water distribution prices, and well dis- tribution prices. This additional economic stress on farmers has forced them to lay-off seasonal and part- time workers. According to a UC Davis report, in 2014 California saw a loss of 17,100 seasonal and part- time jobs related to agriculture due to the drought, representing 3.8 percent of farm unemployment.9

Nearly one-third of all U.S agricultural workers are in California and Texas.10 About 73 percent of agri- cultural workers in California earn less than 200 percent of poverty and are therefore vulnerable to food insecurity.11 Many unemployed workers and their families have turned to food banks and pantries to get their nutritional needs met.

One way California has addressed this need is through the Drought Food Assistance Program (DFAP), which provides temporary food to drought stricken communities.12 This program was part of the $687 million Drought Relief Package put together in 2014 to provide food and water assistance to drought stricken communities and farmers. This included over $25 million allocated to the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to provide drought boxes to counties that were agriculture- dependent and facing exceptional or extreme drought conditions.

The Governor’s Drought Task Force selected 24 counties to receive the drought boxes, based on their level of unemployment, level of drought, and percent of agricultural employment share. Of the selected counties, six are in the Delta and Gold Country

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Fact Sheet: California Drought and Food Insecurity 3

region (Amador, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba).

Food banks were responsible for developing their Drought Action Plans, storing the drought boxes, acquiring household information and informing eligible households of the drop-off locations. They put together their action plans in April 2014, and the first DFAP distributions took place in May 2014. Each drought box contained 25 pounds of non- perishable foods, designed to assist individuals and families who have less or no work because of the drought. Thanks to the efforts of local food banks and community organizations over 420,000 drought boxes were distributed to families statewide in

2014.12 The original DFAP funding will last until October 2015, and additional funding may be reallocated from the $1 billion dollar emergency drought package that was signed by Governor Jerry Brown Jr. in March 2015. 14

…WHAT DOES THIS ALL M EAN?

It would take at least three months of daily rainfall or an estimated 11 trillion gallons of water to end California’s drought.3, 13 As the drought continues, we can all do our part by reducing the amount of water we use daily. We can also encourage our local and state health officials to procure an emergency water fund which would supply residents with emergency water when needed. Additionally, we expect our counties to help to alleviate food insecurity in their service areas with the additional support of the Emergency Drought Package.

The State is taking an active stance about our current drought situation by allocating more funds in this area. Governor Brown just announced legislation for a $1 Billion Emergency Drought Package to help assist Californians with the extreme drought

conditions in 2015.14 This includes $660 million that will go towards food and protection in urban and rural areas.14

Actions community health advocates can take:

x Connect with your local food bank to determine if they are participating in the DFAP program or some other food relief program that may complement your efforts.

x Consider offering nutrition education to clients at food bank distribution sites. Tailor the nutrition education activities to the contents provided in emergency food relief boxes.

x Consider partnering with CalFresh outreach workers to link nutrition education with enrollment and food assistance programs.

x For tips on conducting nutrition education at food banks, see the first link in the Learn More section below.

x To find out more information about the drought and to see how you can make a difference in your area please read the Learn More section of this publication.

“The DFAP program has brought new clients to the food bank. Our programs are designed to provide supplemental assistance, but for many it is their sole source of food.”

Karen Strach Director of Programs at the Yolo Food Bank

Figure 2 Sutter Food Bank Drought Box

DELTA AND GOLD COUNTRY SERVICE AREA 4

LEARN MORE California Association of Food Bank's (CAFB) Produce Education Program http://www.cafoodbanks.org/produce- education

University of California Agricultural Issues Center http://aic.ucdavis.edu/

For up to date drought information visit: http://ca.gov/drought

To monitor the drought visit the U.S. Drought Portal. www.drought.gov

To check out news stories pertaining to the drought in various California communities visit: www.cadrought.com

To find out how you can do your part in conserving water visit Save Our Water. www.saveourwater.com

For links to drought related resources check out the University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. http://ciwr.ucanr.edu/California_Drought_ Expertise/

Learn more about the drought with the Pacific Institute. http://www.californiadrought.org/

Visit the UC Davis California Drought Watch at: http://drought.ucdavis.edu/

Learn more about addressing acute water shortages in vulnerable communities from the Community Water Center http://www.communitywatercenter.org/d rought_factsheet

The Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Collaborative is a regional coalition comprised of organizations and individuals working to educate residents on healthy eating and active living to improve environments and increase food access. Our mission is to work collaboratively to improve the health of communities within the Delta and Gold Country region through education, capacity building, and the promotion of policies, systems, and environmental change strategies.

The Health Education Council is dedicated to providing access, education, advocacy, and training to empower individuals towards a healthy life. For more information about the Health Education Council, please visit our website at: https://healthedcouncil.org or contact our office at (916) 556-3344

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Thanks to Keishia Sheffield, Masters of Public Health graduate student intern from Walden University and Health Education Council staff member Sarah Underwood for composing this factsheet. Special thanks to the following partners for their contributions to this document: Kim Sangha, Sutter County Human Services Health Division; Patrick Hamilton, Yuba-Sutter Gleaners Food Bank; and Karen Strach, from the Yolo County Food Bank.

This material was produced by the California Department of Public Health’s Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Branch with funding from USDA SNAP-Ed, known in California as CalFresh. These institutions are equal opportunity providers and employers. CalFresh provides assistance to low-income households and can help buy nutritious food for better health. For CalFresh information, call 1-877-847-3663. For important nutrition information, visit www.CaChampionsForChange.net.

Fact Sheet: California Drought and Food Insecurity 5

SOURCES

1. NOAA. (2015, February 9). California Facing Worst Drought on Record. Retrieved from NOAA Climate: http://www.climate.gov/news-features/event-tracker/california-facing-worst-drought-record

2. Rice, D. (2015, February 9). California's 100-year drought. Retrieved from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2014/09/02/california-megadrought/14446195/

3. DWR. (2015, February 4). Breaking News. Retrieved from California Department of Water Resources: http://www.water.ca.gov/waterconditions/

4. USDA. (2014, September 3). Definitions of Food Security. Retrieved from USDA: http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/definitions-of-food- security.aspx

5. Scruggs, M., Bisnett, L., & Thomas, T. (2014, January 18). Updated Report: Groundwater Resources Depleted by Drought. Retrieved from State of California: http://ca.gov/drought/news/story-65.html

6. California Department of Water Resources. (2015, February 4). California Data Exchange Center. Retrieved from California DWR: http://cdec.water.ca.gov/

7. NOAA. (2015, February). National Clinic Data Center, State of the Climate: Drought for January 2015: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/drought/2015/1

8. Grossi, M. (2015, February 9). Feds to Central Valley farmers: Expect no water this summer. Retrieved from The Fresno Bee: http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/02/21/3783728_feds-to-central-valley-farmers.html?rh=1

9. Howitt, R. et al. (2014). Economic Analysis of the 2014 Drought for California Agriculture. Davis, CA: Center for Watershed Sciences.

10. USDA. (2014, October 30). Farm Labor: Background. Retrieved from USDA: http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-economy/farm-labor/background.aspx12. Rogers, P. & Buttice, M. (2013). Farmworkers in California: A Brief Introduction. California Research Bureau.

11. Rogers, P. and Buttice, M. (2013). Farmers in California: A Brief Introduction. California Research Bureau.

12. CDSS. (2015, March 25). Drought Food Assistance Program (DFAP) Fact Sheet March 2015. Retrieved from CA Department of Social Services: www.cdss.ca.gov/cdssweb/entres/pdf/PressRelease/DFAP_FactSheet.pdf

13. CNN. (2014, December 18). What deluges? 11 trillion gallons of rain still needed to end California drought. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/18/us/california-rains-and-drought/

14. State of California Governor Edmund Brown Jr. (2015, March 30). Governor Brown, Legislative Leaders Announce $1 Billion Emergency Drought Package. Retrieved from State of California: http://ca.gov/drought/topstory/top-story-27.html