Almond Board of California: Sourcing, Sustainability
Almond Board of California helps processors share ingredient sourcing details from farm to shelf
Almonds: Growing Up Sustainable
In addition to providing a safe and stable supply of almonds, California’s community of more than 6,800 almond growers is committed to using sustainable agricultural practices that respect the environment, are economically viable and protect their local communities.1
Almond Board of California has been investing in research since 1973 and, to continue to help growers navigate complex challenges, ABC now invests more than $2 million a year in independent, third-party research into next-generation farming practices. In 2015, 13 water projects and nine honey bee health projects were approved for funding along with nearly 40 others.
A Team on a Mission
When it comes to following sustainable agricultural practices, California Almond growers and handlers together have been progressive and are continuously challenging themselves to do more. The California Almond Sustainability Program (CASP) was established in 2009 in part to better understand the ongoing sustainability practices of growers related to water, air quality, energy and land (nutrient management, pest management and bee health) and to provide continuing education on these topics. Furthermore, recently published Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) research demonstrated that almond trees accumulate and store significant amounts of carbon during their 25-year life cycles, and that with expansion of certain practices, the almond industry could become carbon neutral or even carbon negative.
Water Matters
All food takes water to grow and produce. So efficient water use and irrigation management have always been high priorities for California’s almond growers. In fact, innovative farming and production developments over the past two decades have helped almond growers reduce the amount of water they use per pound of almonds grown by 33%.2
How have they done it? Research shows that…
… More than 70% of almond orchards report using water-saving micro-irrigation systems, far above the average reported for California irrigation methods.3,4
… More than 80% of growers report using demand-based irrigation in their orchards, which means they review weather, soil moisture and the trees’ needs to determine irrigation strategies, rather than watering on a predetermined schedule.3
In October 2015, Almond Board and the leading environmental organization Sustainable Conservation launched a new partnership focused on leveraging California’s almond orchards for groundwater recharge. Harnessing excess seasonal flood water in a way that can recharge groundwater while not hurting crops benefits the greater community by returning water to underground aquifers, which are collectively California’s largest water storage system.
With clean and clear labeling becoming increasingly evident, telling an ingredient’s sourcing and sustainability story is now crucial to meeting consumer needs.
Learn more about the Almond Board of California’s research and programming activities related to sustainability in the group’s most recent webinar, “The Path to Sustainability*: Beyond the Almond Orchard,” now available for on demand viewing.