Soil health company MyLand celebrated World Water Day this year by releasing new data on water conservation benefits achieved through its Soil as a Service (SaaS) offering, demonstrating MyLand’s impact on water conservation in Arizona and California.
MyLand partners with growers to improve soil health and soil function by harnessing the land’s native organics, resulting in profound impacts on water conservation. Increased water holding capacity and soil organic matter represent two fundamental soil health indicators of water conservation. Healthy soil can hold onto more water for longer periods, reducing the need for frequent irrigation and lowering overall water usage. On average, MyLand serviced farms stored 8,685 more gallons of water per acre foot of soil. This is primarily through increases in soil organic matter, which improve water retention, infiltration, soil structure and aggregation, while decreasing evaporation and soil erosion.
California grows more than 33% of the vegetables and nearly 75% of the fruit and nuts produced in the U.S., using 34 million acre feet of water annually. As healthier soils can retain more water, MyLand’s Service has shown promising water conservation results in California almond production after only nine months, decreasing water use by 10 percent and increasing water use efficiency by 24% relative to control.
In Arizona, agriculture is the largest user of water and MyLand serviced acres in that state experienced a decrease in water use by 15% in alfalfa.
Soluble salts in soil can make it difficult for plants to extract water and uptake critical nutrients. MyLand soils showed a decrease in soil salinity by an average of 63% in California tree nuts and 68% across crops in Arizona. Soil salinity often requires flushing with water for removal, which compounds water usage.
MyLand’s impact on water conservation extends beyond these promising results in Arizona and California. The company is also working with growers in Texas, Washington, and Florida to realize improved water usage.