[DB]

“Drip irrigation also generally increases crop yields, which encourages farmers to expand acreage and request the right to take even more water, thus depleting even more of it.”

What they heck does that mean???

Basically they produce more food with less water. Which would seem to be the goal, no? But that’s bad because when they succeed they want to do more of it and that’s bad...

The world is upside down.

[bruinbirdman]

Intellect has never been a requirement for publication in The Slimes.

"Drip irrigation draws less water, but almost all of it is taken up by the plants, so very little is returned." Duh.

yitbos

[neverdem]

“Drip irrigation also generally increases crop yields, which encourages farmers to expand acreage and request the right to take even more water, thus depleting even more of it.”

What they heck does that mean???

They're growing more vegetables. Plant cells don't grow in a vacuum, IIRC.

[dusttoyou]

It sure sounds like drip irrigation is efficient in producing more crops with same quantity of water. What these ninnies don't seem to understand is that we can not destroy water, we can only move it around and change its state temporarily. When the water is within the food crop, it get transported to another place, it evaporates or is drained into that new area. If it evaporates it reappears as rainfall somewhere else, it is not shipped to another planet.

[Moonman62]

Basically they produce more food with less water.

The article isn't about water, but the stupidity at the NYTimes.

[GOPJ]

With flood irrigation, much of the water is not used by the plants and seeps back to the source, an aquifer or a river. Drip irrigation draws less water, but almost all of it is taken up by the plants, so very little is returned. “Those aquifers are not going to get recharged,” Dr. Ward said.

You're right DB about the increased yeilds with less water - who would object to that?

But what do you think about the "water not used by plants seeps" back into the aquifer? I mean, if it's not taken out in the first place, purified, transported etc., what's the problem with excess water not "seeping" back in? This is soooooo New York Times - they've probably never been closer to a farm than flying over one...