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Effrain Gonzalez, Agricultural Worker
“I know that some family farms and small farmers were not able to grow this year. I see more vacant lands, but…here where I work, we do not utilize water badly. We irrigate properly and evenly in our land. The work is hard, but we do it and have good equipment.
I know of people who are also affected, but people [that work in this field] in general are migratory. People move to where there is work. Only those who work here in the field really understand the severity of the issue because they’re working less hours. The problem here is that because of [lack of work], people who work the fields are forced to buy less because they have less money. This affects the economy because people eventually have to move away to where there is work.
This drought is bad and I really don’t see it getting better because of how bad the drought was this year.”
Kelly Redmond, Climatologist
“Droughts are recurring phenomenon; they happen so often, its unusual not to have them. This one is [unusual] because it has lasted a little longer. Agriculture is most affected by drought. Farmers simply must have water to grow their crops. Strangely enough, human usage of water is rather low, particularly in California where 80% of water is used for agriculture.
When there is a drought going like there is now, water seems to somewhat ignore the smaller communities and flows toward money. Water is essentially built on a priority system where we dedicate water to what we feel is most needed.”
Evelyn Perez, Student
“[M]y friend…was saying how it never rains here and I was saying how I hate the rain, and then she told me we were in a drought. I didn’t even know about the drought until this past January. To tell you the truth, I don’t see how it has affected me. I like the warm weather.
This drought affects my uncle’s business, he and my cousin hate the fact that it does not rain. He grows sweet potatoes on a big farm. He says that he has had to cut the amount of people that he hires. He says that this makes the work the work for the remaining workers go from hard to brutal.”
