Maxwell School News and Commentary
Filtered by: Agriculture
Natalie Koch Speaks on ‘Arid Empire’ for Arizona State Library
The Maxwell School professor’s recent book is relevant as the state grapples with controversy over a Saudi dairy company’s farming.
See related: Agriculture, Middle East & North Africa, United States, Water
Report Co-Authored by Golden on Economic Impact of Bio-based Products Highlighted by USDA
The report, based on 2021 data, showed that the biobased products industry continued to grow, even during the economic setbacks of the COVID-19 pandemic.
See related: Agriculture, Environment, Sustainability, United States
Koch Speaks With Freakonomics Radio About Why Arizona Grows Feed for Cows in Saudi Arabia
"What makes Arizona special is that when you have this desert land, you can grow alfalfa at an incredibly fast rate because of the amount of sunshine. So, as long as you have plentiful water, you can just grow," says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment.
See related: Agriculture, Middle East & North Africa, United States, Water
Catherine Herrold Receives Award to Study Locally Led Development in Serbia
The associate professor will analyze how Serbians organize for social change at the local level.
Golden Comments on California’s Emission Reporting Law in Bloomberg Law Article
California, the world’s fifth largest economy, “just leapfrogged over everyone” through legislation that became law last month that requires companies to start reporting carbon emissions from the energy used for operations and outputs beginning in 2026, says Jay Golden, Pontarelli Professor of Environmental Sustainability and Finance.
See related: Agriculture, Environment, Sustainability, United States
Koch Discusses Arizona’s Water Shortage, the Role of Saudi Agribusiness With Al-Monitor, The World
“The (Saudi) government is very aware of the unsustainable agriculture practices that lead to a situation where the groundwater is no longer really able to sustain any substantial commercial agriculture,” says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment.
See related: Agriculture, Middle East & North Africa, United States, Water
Ethan Coffel Receives NSF Award to Study Climate and Agriculture
The funding will enable the Maxwell School assistant professor to build on his study of the crop-climate feedback cycle.
See related: Agriculture, Climate Change, Grant Awards, United States
Koch Quoted in The Hill Article on Saudi Arabian Alfalfa Farms in Arizona
“If they [Saudi Arabia] want to be able to guarantee their population food security, they know that they can’t really do that domestically,” says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment. The Arizonan land was particularly appealing to the kingdom “because you can get more bang for your buck when you buy that farm,” says Koch.
See related: Agriculture, Middle East & North Africa, United States, Water
Koch Discusses Saudi Arabian Farms Using Water From Arizona and California in KUSA Article
“If you can invest the capital to drill a deep well that can get deep into the groundwater supply, then you can really pump as much as you want,” says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment. “This was appealing to the Saudis as well to go [to La Paz County], where they’re not being charged for water they extract because there’s no measuring of it.”
See related: Agriculture, Middle East & North Africa, United States, Water
Koch Weighs in on Western States Banning Foreign Groundwater Use in Stateline Article
“The U.S. has always been promoting and setting up this entire thing,” says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment. “It’s not like the Americans are passive in this. We have absolutely helped sow the seeds for that Saudi agricultural industry that has come back to us now.”
See related: Agriculture, Middle East & North Africa, United States, Water