From a free market perspective, I would think it to be more efficient to directly subsidize farmers, ie, with generous tax credits, than to subsidize water. Th

From a free market perspective, I would think it to be more efficient to directly subsidize farmers, ie, with generous tax credits, than to subsidize water. Then you get to subsidize food but still have an efficient allocation of water. Farmers might be more incentivized to grow crops with less water requirements but more food value.