The Green Desert

Overview

The Green Desert presents a dazzling kaleidoscope of vineyards, date ranches, and bell pepper farms in the Coachella Valley near the Salton Sea. The much larger Imperial Valley harvests leafy greens by the truckload, delivering over 1 billion servings a year. The alfalfa it grows is the bedrock of the food supply chain, making dairy and meat production possible. A total of 90% of the winter vegetables consumed in the US are produced in these two regions. Without them, the nation’s food security would vanish. Both of these regions rely on imported Colorado River water, a resource dwindling by the year. The need for conservation has never been greater, but will desperate measures be enough? The era of limits has been reached. We are at a crossroads. The future of the American West will be shaped by the choices we make.

Leo Zahn