California growers turn to agave as groundwater limits squeeze San Joaquin Valley farms
With groundwater limits increasing across California's San Joaquin Valley, agave, a spiky desert plant, is drawing interest from farmers, researchers, and schools as a possible way to adapt.
Known mostly for its role in making tequila and mezcal, agave is gaining attention as a crop that can withstand drought and might help keep farmland in production as the climate becomes hotter and drier, according to The Business Journal .
Here's what to know
UC Merced doctoral student Calysta Ownby is researching whether agave can give Valley farmers a practical option as water supplies decline.
Their soil work is meant to find out whether agave roots leave the ground better structured and fertile enough for future crops.
California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA, is prompting growers to reconsider what they can plant as water becomes harder to secure.
Srabani Das, who is affiliated with UC Merced and the University of California Cooperative Extension, noted that more farmers are being pushed toward a difficult choice: move to a crop like agave or leave the land idle.
"We must make agriculture regenerative and also very economically viable for the farmers," Das explained.
More background
Agave stands out largely because it can tolerate intense heat and limited water better than many traditional crops.
That has made it increasingly appealing in a region under growing pressure on its water resources.
Ownby said farmers cannot afford to gamble on a new crop without solid data.
"Testing it out and seeing how it goes probably doesn't sound too great to the farmers," she remarked. "They need answers."
Her Ph.D. research is intended to provide them.
Ownby plans to measure how much water agave needs to be viable, whether it can handle saltier soils better than other crops, and how much carbon dioxide it absorbs.
What's being done?
Schools around the Valley are also beginning to build agave-related programs.
At Madera Community College, President Ángel Reyna said the school has leased a winery with plans to use it as a temporary agave distillery. The longer-term goal is a student-run hotel, bar, restaurant, and distillery.
"This would be a temporary site until we build our own hotel, bar, restaurant, and distillery that our students run and operate, so they can get that hands-on experience," Reyna stated.
The college is also offering four-week agave cultivation classes for the community, with subsidies available for farmers.
Officials want to eventually turn those efforts into credited coursework and degree programs focused on cultivation, distilling, and agave business development.
In Merced County, the Office of Education is partnering with farmer James Hunt to bring K-12 students into agave farming through outdoor education.
"We're not just testing things because it's an interesting question. It's an interesting question because it needs an answer," Ownby commented.
Where can I learn more?
While Valley growers consider whether agave pencils out under SGMA, they're also exploring other ways to adapt to water limits, energy costs, and changing land use.
These articles examine how producers are trying to stay afloat by using less irrigation, generating solar revenue, and finding new purposes for farmland.
• At CES 2025, Full Nature Farms unveiled breakthrough irrigation tech aimed at cutting farm water use.
• In California, farmers are eyeing solar as a revenue source as crop economics tighten.
• On a peach orchard, growers are testing an agrivoltaic system that promotes crops while generating power.
• Farmers have found that solar panels on cropland can support plant growth while producing electricity.
• U.S. researchers say a small share of cropland could supply significant new energy.
They all link back to the same challenge in the San Joaquin Valley: keeping farms productive with less water and tighter margins, which is the backdrop for the region's growing interest in agave.
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