Redesigning Farmland Through Community Collaboration in California

Members of Fairmead Community & Friends (FCF), a volunteer‐driven nonprofit run by Fairmead residents, that advocates for health and social justice, community infrastructure, and a safer living environment for the community. FCF was an essential partner in the farmland redesign project, bringing community needs and preferences to guide the process. Credit: Fairmead Community & Friends Editors’ Highlights are summaries of recent papers by AGU’s journal editors. Source: Community Science California is experiencing major changes in how farmland is used as recent policies seek to protect groundwater resources. These changes are reshaping both the landscape and the lives of rural residents, especially in communities like Fairmead in Madera County, which is surrounded by water-intensive almond orchards. In Community Science’s special collection on Transdisciplinary Collaboration for Sustainable Agriculture, Katrak-Adefowora et al. [2026] describe a project that engaged Fairmead residents and farmers in redesigning a small almond farm into a landscape that reflects multiple community priorities. The new landscape includes a basin that captures stormwater to reduce flooding and help replenish groundwater, native plants that improve habitat, and a walking path for community recreational use. Community members and farmers were engaged through workshops, outreach, and educational activities, with the project team remaining flexible and responsive to local input. This paper shows how involving communities in landscape decisions from the beginning can lead to solutions that are both environmentally beneficial and responsive to local priorities. It also offers a practical collaborative model for other regions facing similar land-use and water challenges, demonstrating how partnerships among residents, farmers, nonprofits, businesses, local governments, and scientists can support more resilient communities. Citation: Katrak-Adefowora, R., Massell, A., Ortiz, V., Vizcarra, A., Nelson, B., & Fernandez-Bou, A. S. (2026). Community-driven solutions for groundwater resilience in California. Community Science,5, e2025CSJ000167. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025CSJ000167 —Claire F. Beveridge, Editor, Community Science Exchange Text © 2026. The authors. CC BY-NC-ND 3.0Except where otherwise noted, images are subject to copyright. Any reuse without express permission from the copyright owner is prohibited.