Angel Santiago Fernandez-Bou’s research while affiliated with Union of Concerned Scientists and other places

There is not enough water in California to support current water uses and preserve healthy environments. California aquifers have been systematically depleted over decades, causing household water insecurity, degrading groundwater-dependent ecosystems, affecting small and medium farmers, and inducing subsidence. The California government enacted the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act a decade ago to prevent declining aquifer levels from continuing to cause undesirable results. This law has indirectly driven the necessity to reduce irrigated agriculture by about half a million hectares. If this change is left to market forces alone, cropland retirement could disrupt local economies and vulnerable communities, increasing the levels of injustice for local residents and threatening farmer and farmworker livelihoods. However, if cropland repurposing is organized and managed correctly and collaboratively among the stakeholders involved, it could improve quality of life in disadvantaged agricultural communities, diversify the economy, create more local socioeconomic opportunities, and increase environmental health while promoting food and nutrition security and advancing water sustainability. In this study, we present a systems-level, coproduced Framework of best practices in cropland repurposing to achieve socioenvironmental and economic benefits for all. The Framework is informed and supported by peer-reviewed science, authors’ first-hand experiences, and public engagement about the topic for several years. Our team includes scientists, community leaders, and other experts in cropland repurposing, socioenvironmental justice, agriculture, climate change, land trusts, disadvantaged communities, energy, Indigenous knowledge, and ecosystems. The Framework includes guiding objectives and best practices to overcome co-occurring challenges that prioritize public health, justice, equitable development, sustainable agriculture, green economies, protection to vulnerable groups, education, grassroots leadership, and cultural preservation. We conduct an extensive literature review of the current status quo and to support the best practices identified in our Framework. This review and coproduced Framework aim to ensure that anyone following these best practices can develop new solutions without causing new problems, while fully considering the impacts on all groups affected firsthand by cropland repurposing.

The last decade has seen dramatic growth in solar power. In some regions, the most favorable land for solar panels is farmland, which is often flat and exposed to high levels of irradiance. At the same time, the agricultural sector is faced with growing challenges, notably changing water availability and increasingly frequent extreme weather events. The combination of these trends presents an opportunity for a synergistic relationship between the agriculture and solar sectors: agrivoltaic systems (AVS). In AVS, solar panels are placed above and between crops, such that the same land produces both food and energy. This system has beneficial microclimate impacts, such as reduced evapotranspiration. Yet, despite these benefits there has been limited uptake of AVS. One reason may be hesitation on the part of farmers, whose perceptions of AVS have been explored little. This analysis seeks to address part of this gap by exploring the relationship between farmer perceptions and interest in AVS. A Likert scale survey was designed and distributed to farmers across two large, agriculturally productive states, North Carolina and California. Responses from the 41 participants who fully completed the survey suggest that farmers who perceive AVS as diversifying their income or whose goals include reducing water use are the most interested in installing AVS. Respondents also identified financial viability as a major concern, agreeing that upfront cost is a major barrier to AVS, and markets as the most influential driver of crop decisions. These findings provide insights for policymakers interested in expanding AVS, particularly in response to environmental stressors, such as water scarcity and extreme weather events. They also suggest the aspects of AVS that may be most important to farmers, and most effective in encouraging AVS uptake. This information can support efforts to promote AVS, contributing to sustainable agriculture.