A group of farmers from the San Joaquin Valley in California marched on the state Capitol in late October, protesting decreased surface water allocations for agriculture.
The group was led by a group of growers from the Sikh community in Madera County, according to a California Farm Bureau Ag Alert report. Farms received zero water allocations this year from the Central Valley Project and were hit with severe cutbacks in water from the State Water Project.
Water officials also issued curtailment orders to protect the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
“At this point, (a farmer’s) livelihood depends on something that is being taken away from them at every angle they turn,” said Christina Beckstead, executive director of the Madera County Farm Bureau.
“So they are trying to have that voice and explain what it is they’re losing and how it impacts everyone else.”
