Almonds have garnered quite the bad reputation in the past year, especially with the repeatedly publicized fact that it takes one gallon of water to produce a single almond.1 This fact has sparked controversy over almond farming due to the . Let’s take a deeper look at what growing almonds is all about and the current “almond controversy.”
Almond History
Technically, the almond is not a type of nut; it is a drupe, meaning it is actually the hard-shelled fruit of the almond tree. The almond tree is in the prunus family, along with the cherry, plum, peach, and nectarine tree.2 Almonds are harvested in the fall, about seven months after the almond tree flowers. However, it takes five years for almond trees to become productive and start bearing fruit.3
Almond trees are native to the Mediterranean region and have grown abundantly in Spain, Morocco, Greece, and Israel for thousands of years.4 Well suited for the Mediterranean climate, almonds flourish in mild, wet winters and dry, warm summers. Almonds are mentioned in Hebrew literature dating back to 2,000 B.C.E. Egyptian King Tutankhamun was even buried with almonds in 1352 B.C.E!5 During the Roman Empire, newlyweds were given almonds as a sign of fertility.6
Almonds did not reach California until the late eighteenth century. Spanish missionary Father Junipero Serra brought almonds with him when he founded several missions in California. Although he planted some almond seeds at the time, they did not grow. It was not until the 1840s when Americans attempted to commercially grow almonds in New England and the Mid-Atlantic region. Farmers thought that since almond and peach trees were so similar, almond trees would be able to grow wherever peach trees grew. However, the almond trees bloomed too early for frosty New England springs. By the 1850s, farmers found that almond trees grew successfully in California due to its Mediterranean-like climate.7
Almond Nutrition
Almonds have grown to be increasingly popular in American diets, largely due to their health benefits. In fact, Americans now consume 10 times more almonds than they did in 1965, and almonds recently beat out peanuts as the most-eaten “nut” in the United States.8 Consuming raw almonds has several upsides. First, almonds contain healthy amounts of saturated and monounsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fat promotes healthy cholesterol levels and cardiovascular health. Second, almonds contain calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, which keep your bones and teeth strong and help prevent osteoporosis. Lastly, almonds help control appetite and can help with weight maintenance because they contain fiber, meaning they keep you full longer.9 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends eating 1.5 ounces of almonds per day, which is a little more than a handful of almonds.10
Almond Controversy
California currently produces about 80 percent of the world’s almond supply. The largest importers of U.S. almonds include China and Hong Kong, Spain, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, and Canada. However, despite a global love of almonds, has shined a negative spotlight on almonds. While the almond industry is incredibly lucrative – valued at $4.8 billion in 2012 – the counties where almonds are grown in the Central Valley of California have unfortunately been hit the hardest by the drought. To make up for water shortage, farmers have been pumping the Central Valley’s groundwater supplies, which are quickly shrinking. California residents are upset with the water shortages as well, citing statistics such as the water used annually to produce almond exports would provide enough water for all Los Angeles homes and businesses for almost three years.11
Almond farmers are concerned about the backlash. California almond grower Daniel Bays stated, “Almonds really aren’t more thirsty than any of our other crops.” In fact, California also produces 43% of the world’s pistachio supply and 28% of the world’s walnut supply, both of which are also thirsty. For instance, it takes 0.7 gallons of water to grow one pistachio and 4.6 gallons of water to grow one walnut.12
Given the fact that the almond industry is so profitable, many farmers have turned their annual crop fields, such as tomatoes, into almond orchards in the past years. This pattern has increased the agricultural industry’s water usage because there are now fewer fields that can lay fallow. Jay Lund, a professor at University of California – Davis, stated, “If you listen to the spokespersons on all the sides and the pundits on all the sides, you’ll pretty quickly come to understand that waste is always water used by other people. This is, I think, a natural human condition in such a dry place.”13 Whether or not California continues to be in a state of drought will most likely determine the almond’s future as a dietary staple. There is likely to be continued backlash against all nuts, and most of all the nut milks being produced if the drought continues on its current course.
