The Great Arizona Water Grab
b'
A Saudi-owned farm in the middle of the Arizona desert has attracted national attention and criticism since Reveal\\u2019s Nate Halverson and Ike Sriskandarajah first broke this story eight years ago. The farm is using massive amounts of water to grow hay and export it to Saudi Arabia in the midst of a water crisis in the American West.\\xa0
\\n\\nSince then, megafarms have taken hold here. And the trend isn\\u2019t fueled just by foreign companies. Many people have no idea that their retirement funds are backing massive land deals that result in draining precious groundwater. Halverson uncovers that pension fund managers in Arizona knew they were investing in a local land deal, which resulted in draining down the aquifer of nearby communities. So even as local and state politicians have fought to stop these deals, their retirement fund has been fueling them.
\\n\\nAnd it\\u2019s not just happening in Arizona. Halverson takes us to Southern California, where retirement money also was invested in a megafarm deal. This time, the farm was tapping into the Colorado River to grow hay and ship it overseas. And it was happening as the federal and state governments have been trying to conserve river water.
\\n\\nHalverson\\u2019s investigation into water use in the West is just one slice of his reporting into a global scramble for food and water, which is featured in an upcoming documentary, \\u201cThe Grab\\u201d by director Gabriela Cowperthwaite. \\u201cThe Grab\\u201d will be coming soon to a theater or screen near you.\\xa0\\xa0
\\n\\n- \\n
Support Reveal\\u2019s journalism at Revealnews.org/donatenow
\\nSubscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the scoop on new episodes at Revealnews.org/newsletter
\\n- \\n