Historic drought threatens California farms

Farmers say extreme weather and policies meant to combat climate change have left their fields barren.

In the valleys of central California, the search for water has turned into an all-out obsession as the region suffers through a drought that could threaten the US’s food supply. Residents have watched with dismay as verdant fields turned into brown, dusty plains, leaving shrivelled trees, dying plants and frustrated farmers. Much of California, and of the broader US West, has suffered through years of lighter-than-usual precipitation and a particularly dry winter.