Taiwan is facing a serious drought, maybe its worst in almost a century. This drought has depleted reservoirs, cut off farmers from water sources and limited some of the world’s most advanced semiconductor factories. Factories use water. NPR’s Emily Feng reports on the choices people now face.

EMILY FENG, BYLINE: This is the third year in a row that rice farmers in southern Taiwan have not been allowed to plant their crops. Instead, the government is paying them subsidies not to grow rice this season. The rice uses scarce water that semiconductor factories nearby need.