Authors: Thomas C. Harmon, M. Anne Visser, and Alexandra E. Hill
Since the mid-nineteenth century, California’s abundant sunshine, fertile soils, and access to inexpensive labor supported the expansion of cultivated land and the production of high-value agricultural crops. In the mid-1900s, with reservoirs and canals afforded by major state and federal projects, the state soon blossomed into one of the most productive agricultural systems in the world. In 2024, California’s agricultural sector generated more than $60 billion in revenue, led by dairy products, almonds and grapes (CDFA 2025). Most of this production is concentrated in Inland California, with more than half of that stemming from the San Joaquin Valley.
Despite the strength of its agricultural sector, Inland California’s lands, water resources, and communities are showing increasing signs of stress. Today, decreasing water security, chronic environmental degradation, and an aging and shrinking farm labor force are converging to challenge the sustainability of agricultural production in the region. How California agriculture responds to these challenges will play a decisive role in determining whether the sector can continue to prosper in the decades ahead.
This chapter examines California agriculture’s potential in the context of the emerging circular bioeconomy. Specifically, we focus on the potential bioeconomic transition of Inland California’s agricultural system through the lens of technological change and the need to align these changes with broader bioeconomy objectives
