Documenting California’s Drought

Matt Black’s photographs documenting the California drought and the effects it has had on the “Fruit Bowl” of America is extremely reminiscent of the FSA photographs of the dust bowl, the dry and dire conditions are near identical. Scarier still is the fact that American farmers appear to have learned little from the destruction over farming caused to the Great Plains during the 1930’s.The depletion of the Central Valley’s aquifers (the natural wells that sit underground) has been a topic of conversation among government officials and farmers for many years, yet little to nothing has been done aside from the more conscious farmers who converted their farming practices into sustainable ones. The fact that the problem existed, was discussed and still ignored allowing the drought to only further complicate a terrible situation, I fear that it will not be until the faucets run dry that the people of California will pay attention.

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