Editing Drought (section)

== Protection, mitigation and relief ==
{{See also|Water scarcity|Water supply|Water security}}
[[File:FEMA - 917 - Photograph by Angel Santiago taken on 04-03-1998 in Marshall Islands.jpg|thumb|upright|Water distribution on [[Marshall Islands]] during [[El Niño-Southern Oscillation|El Niño]].]]

Agriculturally, people can effectively mitigate much of the impact of drought through irrigation and [[crop rotation]]. Failure to develop adequate drought mitigation strategies carries a grave human cost in the modern era, exacerbated by [[population growth|ever-increasing]] population densities.

Strategies for drought protection or mitigation include:
* [[Dam]]s – many dams and their associated reservoirs supply additional water in times of drought.<ref>{{cite news|author1=Matt Weiser|author2=Jeremy B. White|date=2014-06-01|title=Should California build dams, reservoirs to help with future droughts?|url=http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/06/01/3956458/should-calif-add-new-dams.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320040153/http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/06/01/3956458/should-calif-add-new-dams.html|archive-date=2015-03-20|access-date=2015-02-18|newspaper=Fresno Bee}}</ref>
* [[Cloud seeding]] – a form of intentional weather modification to induce rainfall.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cloud seeding helps alleviate drought|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-07/24/content_351196.htm|work=China Daily}}</ref> This remains a hotly debated topic, as the [[National Research Council (United States)|United States National Research Council]] released a report in 2004 stating that to date, there is still no convincing scientific proof of the efficacy of intentional weather modification.<ref>{{cite book|last1=NRC|title=Critical Issues in Weather Modification Research|year=2003|isbn=978-0-309-09053-7|doi=10.17226/10829}}</ref>
* Land use – Carefully planned [[crop rotation]] can help to minimize [[erosion]] and allow farmers to plant less water-dependent crops in drier years.
* [[Transvasement]] – Building canals or redirecting rivers as massive attempts at [[irrigation]] in drought-prone areas.
When [[Water scarcity|water is scarce]] due to droughts, there are a range of options for people to access other sources of water, such as [[Reclaimed water|wastewater reuse]], [[rainwater harvesting]] and [[Stormwater harvesting|stormwater recovery]], or seawater [[desalination]].