2015 End Water? Series

Having grown up in the desert of southern Arizona, I am no stranger to water scarcity. I moved to California in 2015 in the midst of the most impactful drought in the state's history since 1895. Since farms in California consume 80% of water used by humans in the state, I was drawn to the farming industry to document what I could witness of the drought's impact. This body of work represents what I documented in the Central Valley, an area covering 20,000 square miles, containing approximately 17% of the United States' irrigated land, and producing more than 250 types of crops. Through this limited photographic investigation, I seek to generate dialogue about our relationship to water and commodities we consume that rely on water. How much of the impact of the drought on the farming industry can actually be seen in these photographs? When farmers feel forced to fallow land that could be productive in times of better water availability, what are the broader economic impacts on labor, commodity prices, and import/export? What is our responsibility as consumers of water and agricultural commodities in times of drought? Is there parity between water conservation efforts between urban and rural environments? Given the trends of climate change and the unsustainable population growth in comparison to water availability, how can we best adjust as human beings to the potentiality of greater water scarcity in the future?

© 2024 Aaron Wilder. All rights reserved.