Facing a future with less water, the country’s largest agricultural water district is turning from growing nuts, vegetables, fruit and beef to a new crop: solar power. Westlands Water District, which supplies some of California’s driest farmland, is making plans to convert some 200 square miles of it — an area roughly the size of Detroit — into what would be the largest solar installation in the world. Under pressure, Westlands, more usually known for its ties to former President Donald Trump and for fighting aggressively for every extra drop of water it can get, is diversifying both economically and politically.

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