AWASH IN OIL, WATER SHORT, SAUDIA ARABIA BUYS US FARMLAND!!!

News Nationalgeographic.com  contributer Ben Jervey warned us back on January 23, 2014 that it was only a matter of time before Saudia Arabia would join other countries, like China in purchasing farmland in the U.S. Southwest.

Saudia Arabia purchased farmland 2 years ago in Arizona and has now added more farmland in California. Land that has “FIRST WATER RIGHTS” along the Colorado River!

They are making a very sound business decision and conserving a scarce resource “WATER!” in their homeland.

Who cares if oil is $20 a barrel, if you have no drinking water and no ability to grow crops!

“We’re not getting oil for free, so why are we giving away our water for free, meanwhile residents have wells going dry!” exclaimed Holly Irwin the chairman for La Paz County Board of Supervisors in Arizona.

Ironically the Spanish translation for La Paz means “PEACE“!

Saudia Arabia has joined the  United Arab Emerites, that made a similar decision in 2008, but what is disturbing is what crop they are choosing to grow.

                                                        ALFALFA!!!

Alfalfa is the largest crop grown in Arizona and California and is primarily used for Dairy Farming.

According to the NPR-Colorado Public Radio- News Publication Nov. 2, 2015, The most expensive Crop in the U.S. to grow is Alfalfa which requires 5.3 million acre feet of water per year, yielding an average of 8 harvests a year.

Michelle Morens, spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Water Resources stated clearly what has been a long standing problem with water usage and rights in the Southwest, “ Use as much as you want, as long as it’s put to a beneficial use, and you are not required to report your water use!”

So with 23 active wells, 100,000 gallons of water can be pumped from the river or the aquifer for a water intensive crop production!

The plan is to grow the crops here and then transport them on the near empty shipping containers departing from the L.A. Ports back to the East. Makes perfect sense for them but what are We getting out of the deal???

Some data for thought:

2007…..China imported  2,400 metric tons of Alfalfa.

                 by

2012….China imported 485,000 metric tons of  Alfalfa.

The Arizona desert is symptometic of the absence or lax enforcement of regulations pertaining to the use of groundwater.

The groundwater has fallen by more than 50 feet since 2010 within 100 miles of Pheonix! Farmers are going to need to dig wells to China to strike water!!! Not a Lol situation!!!

Saudia Arabia aquifers have almost dried up so their need to conserve is urgent.

Robert Glennon, water policy expert at the University of Arizona and author of the book “Unquenchable: American Water Crisis and What to do about it” had the perfect reaction”

                               UTTER DISBELIEF!

sources: Zero Hege “Saudia Arabia is Buying up American Farmland to Export Agricultural Products Back Home by Tyler Durda 01/17/2016, Wikipedia, NPR- Colorado Public Radio- News Pub. Nov. 2, 2015, News.nationalgeographic.com/…/1L10123-0 National George South Exporting Colorado River to Asia through hay…Saudia Arabia soon to follow

cnbc.com/jeffdanielsca “Saudia Arabia buying up farmland in US Southwest.