Can’t we ban growing of these high water crops in areas where there is water shortage? One can happily live without eating pistachios their entire life, no?
Compared to what? Relative to other nuts and seeds? To other common ground crops? To fruits?
I've never heard that pistachios are low water crops and I find that hard to believe. They're one of the highest blue water consumers in their class; water in rivers, lakes and aquifers [1]. Pistachios are not low water. They're drought tolerant and do well in arid climates but to fruit naturally they need a really good year of water. OR irrigation which we've done in abundance.
Thanks for informing me- I confused drought tolerance with not requiring much water for production.
I’d be interested to know how their water usage would compare to staple foods like beans, rice or wheat, that would give a better sense of the relative imprudence of growing pistachios in that area.
