Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers

Read the passage and select ALL correct options. Wrong selections lose points.

Desert farmers have long faced a paradox: abundant sunlight but scarce water. Modern desert agriculture increasingly relies on drip irrigation, which delivers water directly to plant roots through perforated tubing, cutting evaporation losses dramatically compared to overhead sprinklers. Some operations pair this with shade netting that reduces leaf temperature without blocking the light needed for photosynthesis. Soil amendments such as biochar are also used to improve water retention in sandy substrates that would otherwise drain too quickly. Despite these advances, desert farming remains energy-intensive, since pumping groundwater from deep aquifers and running climate-controlled greenhouses both demand substantial power, often supplied by on-site solar arrays rather than the regional grid.