Groundwater challenges are one of the major areas of risk for underserved and limited-resource farmers in central California. Small-scale Southeast Asian, Latino/a/x, and African American
farmers producing vegetable crops rely almost entirely on groundwater from wells with electric pumps. Increased
energy costs and new restrictions on groundwater use make water and energy efficiency
critical for the viability of these farms. Risks include production risks of water use decisions in a context of groundwater scarcity, financial risks of rising energy costs for pumping groundwater, and legal risks of new environmental regulations for groundwater. To support these farmers in managing risk related to groundwater use, we conducted 79 farm visits to assist farmers in monitoring groundwater use, troubleshooting problems with pumps, wells, and irrigation systems, four workshops or presentations on topics such as using moisture sensors, irrigation scheduling, and solar energy, and 22 one-on-one appointments to assist farmers with completion of required reporting for a state program regulating groundwater quality. Farmers also provided feedback on alternate reporting forms being developed by regulatory agencies to better fit their diversified farming systems. As groundwater levels in the region continued to decline under drought conditions during the 2022 production season, we assisted farmers in evaluating their pump, irrigation system, depth to groundwater, and well depth to assess their risk during the drought and take appropriate management actions. Farmers obtained needed information on their systems and equipment to assess their financial and production risks, and some were able to access drought assistance programs.