The Almond Board continues informing the industry about its new AIM Initiatives..AIM, or Accelerated Innovation Management, is a new strategic effort designed to make the almond industry even more efficient and sustainable through four major initiatives.
Almond Update – AIM Initiatives
Chairman of the Board, Mike Mason explains the goal of AIM. He says there will be additional funding for the initiatives, and he points out the Almond Board has a long history of investing in the industry.
From the Almond Board Website.
When asked about the new program, Almond Board President and CEO Richard Waycott said, “We are taking a pledge to accelerate change. This journey will not only lead our industry, but all of agriculture.”
Accelerated Innovation Management or AIM, is a new strategic effort designed to make the almond industry even more efficient and sustainable through the four major initiatives described below.
Water Management and Efficiency: This focuses on speeding up almond industry transition to more efficient irrigation scheduling and management practices to get the most crop per drop of water. This builds on the 33% reduction in water used to grow each pound of almonds achieved by our industry over the last 20 years.
Sustainable Water Resources: An exploration of the best ways to leverage a unique strength of the California Almond industry — its acreage — to accelerate natural flood-year recharge of groundwater aquifers that are collectively California’s largest water storage system. This initiative will also look for opportunities to recycle water from multiple sources, such as municipal wastewater, as a way of increasing overall water availability for farmers and all Californians.
Air Quality: Investigatingthe various ways the almond industry can help meet the California Central Valley’s exacting air quality standards. This initiative will identify alternatives that will result in cleaner air for all those who live in California’s Central Valley – farmers, their families and surrounding communities.
22nd Century Agronomics: This initiative is a comprehensive exploration of almond farming techniques, bringing an exploratory mindset that considers all options and innovations necessary to “leap frog” toward the sustainable farmof the future. It will consider each component of almond farming, from land preparation and varietal development, to equipment and processing.
– See more at: http://www.almonds.com/blog/about-almond-board/almond-industry-launches-strategic-plan-accelerate-innovation-and#sthash.GlUZDmUB.dpuf