I've been suggesting (off-blog) for some time now that California needs to pay a few rice farmers to move from the California desert to someplace that has natural swamps.
I figure rice is a better target than almonds, what with taking only a couple of years to get back up to speed in a new location.
Well, looky here! Scott Alexander went and gathered up some real numbers, and the proper target turns out to be ... alfalfa! Yes, a huge amount of water is being used to grow a very-low-value annual crop. Just the thing to be moved to someplace where it rains on a regular basis, thereby freeing up water for other uses.
Alas, the complex (and ancient and arcane) system of water rights in the western U.S. probably precludes this.
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