Despite the devel­op­ment of El Niño in the east­ern Pacific Ocean result­ing in a wet 2023 for California, cli­mate experts antic­i­pate the Golden State to con­tinue becom­ing hot­ter and drier. According to the office of Governor Gavin Newsom, hot­ter and drier weather con­di­tions due to cli­mate change could reduce the state’s water sup­ply by up to 10 per­cent by 2040. The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) estimates that 40 percent of all the state’s water is used in agriculture. As the state enacts tougher water regulations and encourages improved water use efficiency, some farmers are already betting on drought-resilient olives as a crop of the future. “Olives are not the only tree crop out there that can withstand a little deficit irrigation, but olives stand out for their drought tolerance,” Caitlin Peterson, the PPIC Water Policy Center’s associate director, told Olive Oil Times.