Solutions

It is evident that water crises in California are not new. In recent times, however, record drought, groundwater contamination and overdraft, environmental impacts, aging infrastructure, a growing population, competing water needs, and climate change have further elevated the sense of urgency in addressing California’s water quality, supply reliability, and food production.

Recognizing the complex and long-term nature of these challenges, CRWFS began a yearlong series of dialogues focused on what the members believe is the major impediment to resolving these issues—widespread disconnection—and identifying a new, strategic and unified approach to addressing them.

From Crisis to Connectivity: Renewed Thinking About Managing California’s Water and Food Supplydescribes the resulting connectivity approach. The report provides a whole-systems framework for applying the concept of connectivity to our water management decisions, including guiding principles for:

• Connected thinking
• Institutional linkages
• Public and stakeholder engagement

Various food and water management projects are already underway throughout the state that apply these guiding principles and generate the sorts of connected-benefit solutions described in the report. Several of these are featured in the accompanying booklet, Applying the Connectivity Approach: Water and Food Supply Projects in California that Connect, Link, and Engage.

Download: Applying the Connectivity Approach: Water and Food Supply Projects in California that Connect, Link, and Engage