“Harvard’s foray into wine country is part of a broader shift in the Central Coast of California toward large investors and new crops.
The Cuyama Valley was a major oil-producing region for decades before eventually shifting to a mix of crops, including alfalfa, oats, and carrots as the oil dried up. Water scarcity has been a persistent challenge in local agriculture for years.
Casey Walsh, a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said the Central Coast region more broadly has become an increasingly popular area for wine-grape cultivation in the last few decades. Local residents are not concerned as much with vineyard competition, but more with water availability.”
Turning water into wine can quickly become a headache in the land of depleted aquifers.
Harvard Crimson article on Cuyama Valley Groundwater Basin
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Post by Marcelino Pantoja