California drought spurs technology on the farm

Farmers in the California’s $45 billion agricultural economy are increasingly thirsty for ways to save water, prompting a burst in demand for new tools and processes. Farmers in the arid West long have sought to lower their costs, including for water. But it often has taken a back seat to pressing concerns about labor, energy and other expenses. Now a drought that has stretched for four years is heightening attention to water efficiency by California growers of crops, whether almonds, olives or peaches — and opening a new market opportunity for those peddling novel solutions and others whose products received little notice until now.