California Almonds Association invest $68 million in environmental and sustainable cultivation research

 The California Almond Association will invest 68 million U.S. dollars in research on next-generation almond farming techniques. The government intends to focus on innovative cultivation studies that think more about the environment and the future for sustainable almonds.

　
Recently, the Almonds Association of California announced at the 46th Almond Conference in Sacramento, California, that it will invest a total of $68 million to support 75 independent research on next-generation almond farming techniques. The Almond Conference is an annual December event in California, which accounts for more than 80 percent of the world's almond production, where almond growers, processors and researchers gather to discuss the latest technologies and directions for sustainable almond cultivation.
　


Richard Waycott, president and CEO of California Almonds Association, emphasized that "innovation is the core of sustainable almond cultivation, and we continue to strive for a better environment and future." "In fact, almond farmers and processing companies have invested a total of $80 million (about 88.5 billion won) worth of research funds since 1973 to enhance understanding of almonds' health effects, guarantee food quality and safety, and improve cultivation techniques that minimize environmental impacts," he explained.
　
The California Almond Association's research program consists of water sustainability, the health of potted insects represented by honeybees, and new ways to utilize almond byproducts such as outer skin, bark and wood. Recently, it has been focusing on research on how to utilize almond by-products. The California Almonds Association provided a total of $12 million (about $13.2 billion) to nine studies on how to utilize almond byproducts. This is to ensure that the outer skin and shells surrounding the almond kernel are all used without being discarded. "Zero-Waste" is an important task not only in agriculture but also in various industrial sectors. The three expected almond byproduct studies include ▶  use almond shells as toners and pigments for recycled plastics ▶  use almond skins for breeding larvae. ▶ Almond skins for growing mushrooms.


　


Almond farmers in California are also seeking to adopt a new farming law. In order to improve water sustainability, almond growers applied the precision irrigation technology to replenish the underground aquifer layer by cultivating underground water in the farm. In order to protect honeybees, we work closely with beekeeping farmers and follow the proven method through research. In addition, the government is also creating a source of wheat that can provide additional nutrition to honeycomb and nearby potted insects.
　
The California Almonds Association has supported more than 200 water-related research projects since 1982, which have reduced farm consumption per pound of almond production by 33 percent over the past two decades. This year, the California Almond Association provided 610,000 U.S. dollars for nine water-related research projects and 579,000 dollars for seven honeybee health research projects.