Water Stewardship Starts with Soil

At Earth Wake, water stewardship isn’t a buzzword—it’s a practice rooted deep in the soil.

In California, water conservation is critical. And while it’s easy to talk about droughts and infrastructure, one of the most powerful tools for preserving water is beneath our feet: healthy soil.

Soil That Saves Water

For every 1% increase in organic matter, soil can hold up to 20,000 more gallons of water per acre. That means the healthier our soil, the more water it naturally retains—and the less we need to irrigate.

In fact, in one of our prune orchards, we irrigated only once this season, instead of the usual 3–4 times. That’s a huge shift—and it’s all thanks to regenerative practices that feed the soil, not just the plants.

Fewer Inputs, Cleaner Outputs

Using less water doesn’t just conserve a vital resource—it also helps reduce nitrogen runoff and protect our waterways.

When fields are over-irrigated, excess water can carry nitrogen into rivers, lakes, and groundwater. These nitrates can fuel problems like algae blooms and excessive aquatic plant growth, which disrupt ecosystems, harm wildlife, and degrade water quality.

By improving soil health and managing water use carefully, we help keep both our crops and our waterways healthier.

The Big Picture in California

California has historically relied on dams for water storage—solutions that, in hindsight, don’t always work in harmony with nature. What we urgently need are more smart, sustainable reservoirs that capture excess water during wet years before it runs off into the ocean.

Right now, California’s water situation is stable—but as we've seen, that can change quickly. That’s why Earth Wake is focused on building long-term resilience: with better soil, smarter crops, and practices that put nature first.

Dried Fruit That Saves Water

Our approach doesn’t stop in the field. Much of the dried fruit we produce is made from upcycled fruit—perfectly good fruit that would have otherwise gone to waste. By using upcycled fruit, we help prevent up to 400 gallons of water from being wasted for every pound of dried fruit we produce.

It takes about 6-10 pounds of fresh fruit to make 1 pound of dried fruit, and growing that much fruit typically uses around 400 gallons of water.

When fruit is discarded, much of the water used to grow it is wasted too. By rescuing and drying that fruit, we make sure that water wasn’t used wastefully.

A Shared Responsibility

We believe that real change happens when farmers, producers, governments, and individuals work together. We’re 335 million strong in the U.S. alone—and together, we can make a difference.

Better soil. Smarter water use. That’s the Earth Wake way.