California Strawberry Commission Engineers Water-Saving Growing Method Amid Chronic Drought
Photo courtesy of the California Strawberry Commission.
The California Strawberry Commission (CSC) represents strawberry farmers, shippers, and processors working across Salinas, Watsonville, Santa Maria, Oxnard, San Diego and Orange counties, and parts of the Coachella Valley. Together, the CSC stewards about 31,000 acres of farmland, which, large as it may sound, is less than one percent of farmland in the state. Working these tens of thousands of acres are some of the world’s leading experts on strawberry growing, innovating practices to make the industry more sustainable and resilient to persistent droughts California growers face.
California strawberries are often referred to as a Crop of Opportunity. “More than 75 percent of the strawberry workforce, including management and fieldworkers, are Latinx.” 25 percent of now farm owners started out as field workers, and with many personal stories to attest, the industry provides many the opportunity of upward economic mobility.
The California strawberry industry has been a leader in water conservation for decades. “One acre of strawberries requires less water than an acre of homes in Los Angeles,” writes the CSC. The main component of water conservation in the California strawberry industry is the use of drip-irrigation. To ensure they’re always staying ahead of the industry, CSC invests millions of dollars in research and innovation programs. The commission has also partnered with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to create the Strawberry Center, where students work with agriculture faculty, staff, and industry leaders to advance strawberry farming through innovation, and best-practices across the entire industry. This experience leads students to become the future leaders in the strawberry industry, ensuring the industry’s success.
The economic footprint of the California strawberry industry is massive, with strawberries generating $3.02 billion USD of revenue in 2021, making it California’s third highest grossing crop. For California, the strawberry industry has created 70,000 jobs across more than 30 sectors and 97 cents of every farm dollar going back into the communities in which it serves. One cross section of that 70,000 jobs are the more than 3,000 farmers, ranch managers and crew supervisors who are trained annually through regular in-person and virtual workshops on topics like workplace safety, workplace conditions, and food safety.
As a trusted partner, Echo360 serves as the provider and support team for CSC’s hybrid training and workshops, helping enable a more sustainable future in California, and around the world, through our Echosystem of industry-leading education technology solutions. Connect with someone on Echo360’s team to amplify your educational impact and join our global community of inspired learners and researchers doing amazing climate work like the CSC.