Regenerative agriculture cannot create rain, but it can help farms make better use of the water that arrives. NRDC policy analyst Arohi Sharma argues that California’s drought strategy should combine healthier soil, more efficient irrigation and crops suited to a water-limited future.
Soil functions as a reservoir
Well-aggregated soil allows rainfall and irrigation to infiltrate instead of ponding or running off. Organic matter and pore space increase the amount retained for roots. The article cites estimates that a one-percentage-point increase in soil organic matter can raise potential water storage by more than 20,000 gallons per acre, although the actual result varies with texture, depth and starting condition.
Cover crops can protect the surface, feed soil organisms and improve structure. California research cited by NRDC suggests winter covers can be grown without a significant increase in total farm water use when managed appropriately. Yet adoption remained below four per cent of California cropland at the time.
Demand still has to fall
Healthier soil is only part of the response. Drip or micro-irrigation can reduce losses, but saved water must not simply support more irrigated acreage. Crop choice also matters, particularly where permanent orchards lock farms into water demand for decades.
Sharma calls for clearer transition targets, better funding and easier access for small, diverse and socially disadvantaged farms. Technical improvements work best when groundwater limits and community drinking-water needs are enforced.
The practical lesson is to pair field-scale resilience with basin-scale restraint: build infiltration, choose crops carefully, measure irrigation and ensure efficiency reduces total demand.
Read NRDC’s full drought and regenerative agriculture analysis.