Does Growing Almonds Really Waste Too Much Water?

A friend recently related a conversation she’d had with her barista at a well-known coffee chain. The barista confided that she bristles when her customers order almond milk for their lattes because “growing almonds wastes so much water.”

You may have heard similar things about almonds and their negative impact on the environment. For example, you might have heard that it takes a gallon of water to produce a single almond.

Perhaps you've been avoiding almonds and almond milk out of concern about water usage. But, as is so often the case, there’s a little more to this story.

Perhaps, like my friend’s barista, you have been avoiding almonds and almond milk out of concern about water usage. But, as is so often the case, there’s a little more to this story.

How much water does it take? 

It’s true that almonds are a very water-intensive crop. But all nuts are water-intensive crops. If we were all to switch to pistachio milk or walnut milk, prompting farmers to start growing more of those nuts instead of almonds, we’d still be using about the same amount of water. 

The non-dairy alternatives that have the lowest water footprint are soy and oat.

According to data published in the June 2018 issue of the journal Science, the non-dairy alternatives that have the lowest water footprint are soy and oat. But nut milks still require significantly less water to produce than cow’s milk. And in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, almond milk may actually be one of the better choices, because almond trees trap more CO2 in their leaves than other crops.

But getting back to water issues: The reason that almonds use such a large share of California’s water supply is that they make up such a large share of California’s agricultural economy.

Why California is the world's biggest almond producer

The growing conditions in California are ideal for almonds. Almonds are also a very high-value crop—farmers can earn far more per acre growing almonds than any other crop. Worldwide demand for almonds has also skyrocketed in the last two decades, in part due to sustained campaigns by industry groups to promote the health benefits of almonds. 

In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, almond milk may actually be one of the better choices, because almond trees trap more CO2 in their leaves than other crops.

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