It was already July.
Five days without rain means a small drought; ten days without rain means a major drought; a month without rain means the ground is smoking.
After the heavy rain, it hadn't rained for a continuous month.
The entire land was desolate, and many former farmlands were now just ravines.
At the base, due to the pre-storage of water in the mountain pond, the water level of this pond had been raised to its highest point.
At this time, a month of continuous drought had caused the water in this mountain pond to decrease day by day.
Currently, the water in the mountain pond had already decreased by one-third.
At this base, everyone had already conserved water, but the water consumed in the farmlands was the most substantial, yet at this stage, it was a necessary evil.
Li Yu clearly understood the pros and cons of drip irrigation: from a theoretical perspective, drip irrigation indeed saves water, fertilizer, labor, and effort.
However, there were many problems in actual operation. The first was that the drip emitters were prone to clogging, and there were basic requirements for the quality of water used for drip irrigation, at least ensuring it was clean and free of impurities.
For large-scale field crops, with two seasons a year, the planting methods were complex, and constantly dismantling and installing drip irrigation equipment was too troublesome.
Crops installed with drip irrigation must not be mechanically farmed and harvested, otherwise, repeated dismantling and reassembly would be very troublesome, and dragging them through the soil could easily clog the drip irrigation holes.
For field crops like corn, wheat, peanuts, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and beans, all require plowing and turning the soil, leveling, and then re-making beds for planting, so installing drip irrigation equipment is not labor-saving but labor-intensive.
In short, it also depends on whether the crop is suitable for drip irrigation, and various factors must be considered; it's not about theoretical suitability but must be adapted to local conditions.
Consider whether planting and harvesting are convenient, whether there are external conditions, whether the cost is sufficient, and many other aspects.
In this apocalypse, the most important thing is to survive, so the staple foods needed are nothing more than rice, corn, wheat, sweet potatoes, and potatoes.
Rice cannot use drip irrigation because it needs to be planted in water, and simple drip irrigation cannot meet the plant's growth.
Potatoes, corn, etc., all require plowing and turning the soil, leveling, and then re-making beds for planting, and installing drip irrigation equipment is time-consuming and laborious.
Moreover, although similar drought conditions occasionally occur, the place where Li Yu is located is in a subtropical monsoon climate, and the annual precipitation is relatively abundant.
Therefore, Li Yu had no intention of using drip irrigation equipment from the very beginning. The reason for choosing to build the base here was because there was a large mountain pond that could meet the water supply needs.
Now, they were just waiting for the dry season to pass and for the rainy season to arrive.
In the farmlands, under the scorching sun, the moisture in the fields evaporated very quickly, basically requiring water to be released from the mountain pond every 3 to 5 days.
Fortunately, the entire mountain pond now only irrigated the few acres of land within the base, not the farmlands of every household, so the consumption was not as exaggerated.
The high temperatures continued, and droughts occurred in various places.
Due to water shortages, scenes of survivors relocating constantly played out.
During the relocation process, some people died on the road from exhaustion; some died from heatstroke without effective treatment; and some were starved to death.
At the base, a series of confrontation matches were being vigorously organized.
In Li Yu's plan, there were two paths for the base's future development: one was to continuously expand its sphere of influence. The advantage was that more people made things easier, and stronger power allowed for better self-preservation. The disadvantage was that all core issues revolved around food; in this apocalypse, if there was not enough food, no matter how many people there were, they would only be a burden.
The other path was to pursue an elite force strategy, with everyone being a soldier, improving the overall strength within a limited number of personnel. The advantage was that fewer people were easier to manage, and the pressure of food was not as great. The disadvantage was that the overall strength would certainly not be comparable to groups with large numbers.
Li Yu was currently pursuing the second path, improving the overall quality of his personnel. At the same time, he had acquired a relatively large amount of firearms and firepower in the early stages.
However, bullets would eventually run out, and in this apocalypse, occasional natural disasters could easily cause some groups to collapse.
Years after the apocalypse, heavy rain, drought, blizzards, and cold continuously destroyed this world, destroying many industrial facilities.
It also gradually led humanity into the cold weapon era.
Human civilization was gradually being destroyed.
In the face of the most critical survival, food was the fundamental element for lasting until the end.
Maintaining a sufficient food supply was the only way to truly survive.
Li Yu, having been reborn, clearly understood one thing.
This world had no superpowers, nor was there a Child of the Era to lead humanity in rebuilding civilization.
There was only endless despair, endless sorrow.
Humanity could only struggle to survive in this apocalyptic environment.
It was another evening, and Li Yu walked to the fields to observe the rice and corn planting situation.
Before he got close, he saw his grandfather with his pant legs rolled up, going into the field to block the furrows and repair some small gaps along the field edges.
Hearing footsteps, his grandfather straightened up, looked up, and saw it was Li Yu, saying, "Xiao Yu, why are you here?"
"Grandpa, the weather is so hot, you should come out less, don't get heatstroke. I came to check on the crops," Li Yu replied.
His grandfather wiped sweat from his brow with the towel on his shoulder, his eyes filled with anxiety: "The water in the mountain pond is getting less and less, and I don't know when this dry season will end, sigh. Your second uncle said the water in the well we dug before has also decreased a lot. This is not a good sign."
Hearing his grandfather's worried words, Li Yu also felt some concern. According to his reborn memories, this drought lasted for two months. For now, the water in the mountain pond would be enough until the drought ended.
"Grandpa, let me help you." Li Yu also rolled up his pant legs and went into the field, repairing some small gaps along the field edges. This was to prevent water from flowing out; one had to know that water was precious now, and all this water was needed for planting crops, so letting water flow out through these gaps was undoubtedly a waste.
As of now, many of the flowers and plants in the garden had already withered and died.
Except for the few large osmanthus trees, which were occasionally watered, the other flowers and plants were left to wither and die.
In this world, whenever there was war, whenever there was drought, and a food crisis, there would inevitably be population migration.
Even the apocalypse was no exception.
In a place far from the base, a large group was migrating south.
They didn't know where they were going, but staying put would only mean waiting for death.
The supplies in their original location had been completely scavenged, and many people could only relocate to other places.
Some groups also tried to plant crops, but they couldn't withstand the long period of drought.
Their crops eventually withered and died, and they despaired, needing to prepare in advance while they still had some food.
Ultimately, they were forced to search for food elsewhere.
