4 ms·

This is a problem of zero rain, not water consumption. These people are living out in an area where there is no municipal water hookup. If you have never live

This is a problem of zero rain, not water consumption. These people are living out in an area where there is no municipal water hookup. If you have never lived in a rural area with no municipal water, or never lived on a farm, or never been real poor then I can see how your post might seem like a great solution to you. The fact of the matter is that there has been a drought for 3 years and this area happens to be one of the hardest hit. Their lack of water is because the rain hasn't come to replenish the ground water. You make some very qualifying statements.... Would you like to provide evidence that farmers pay too little for water? That they use too much water? And what is this gigantic portion of water consumption that you are referring to? I mean, they do kind of need to use water to grow their respective foods... sooooo I guess I wonder what world you expect to live in where farmers don't use more water than the average person?

pjc50 12y ago
http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21596955-drought-forcing-westerners-consider-wasting-less-water-drying-west http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21596955-drought... "Agriculture accounts for 80% of water consumption in California, for example, but only 2% of economic activity. Farmers flood the land to grow rice, alfalfa and other thirsty crops. By one account, over the years they have paid just 15% of the capital costs of the federal system that delivers much of their irrigation water." Trying to grow rice in California is as ludicrous as the Saudi plans to grow wheat in the desert with oil-desalinated water. I appreciate this is a bad situation for the farmers and in an ideal world the climate change mitigation fund would compensate them for stopping.