I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the aspect of ionization of the water molecules and dust particles in the atmosphere as a viable method of inducing rainfall, when required. The sceptics admit they have never worked with the process, even meteorologists in states like Colorado which promote strongly the aspect of cloud seeding, and receive huge funding for it, admit they have not personally checked out ionization, but are still willing to cast doubt on it.Read a statement by one of these meteorologists who is invested heavily in cloud seeding talking about ionization and draw your own conclusion http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_43/b3956105.htm calling it a hoax while the Mexican government dept of Agriculture had measured field data proving it's merit.
The idea that someone else is taking your rain is misguided. Meteorologists will tell you that only 2-3% of the available moisture in the atmosphere ever falls out as precipitation. There is lots left there and this concept that others have benefitted at your expense is only due to lawyers chasing a paycheck. Governments cringe from the thought of being sued by landowners and other states and it is false information. On the otherhand Desalination plants are a US $ 10 billion a year revenue generating enterprize (from 14,451 plants) world wide and function as a conglomerate from the International Desalination Association (IDA), not counting the cost to build these plants. That amounts to a lot of political influence, regardless of the facts. Not to mention the huge amounts of toxic salt brine that needs to be disposed of and is very bad for the environment.
Water from a desalination plant can be measured and sold to thirsty landowners. Water from the atmosphere cannot. I think that this is the biggest reason ionization as well as many forms of "Cloud Busting" or Etheric rainmaking are discredited by seemingly unbiased professionals who admit they never test it themselves. All of which are usually connected to the governments or engineering firms who already have expensive cloud seeding or desalination projects being funded.
I personally built a cloud buster which used atomized water to enhance the ionization of the atmosphere, as a sceptic, only to be sadly, but surprizingly proved wrong on twelve separate occasions selected by the local farmers to make it rain over three growing seasons. On every occasion it rained heavily within 2-5 days of comencing operations in a 20km radius area in a drought region where cactus grows naturally. The farmers in that area have doubled to trippled crop yield in those three growing seasons, compared to other years and to farmers just 40km away in all directions. This was done for free, as an experiment with nothing to gain or lose on my part. What can I say, I was wrong, and so are the rest of the sceptics. Look into it yourself, build one using atomized water powering the process and give it a try. But use it wisely as you can also washout crops and even do storm damage if you are irresponsible with it. It also puts out massive amounts of negatively charged ions (from evaporating water molecules) and can adversely affect the human system which requires a positive charge to function properly, so don't touch it and stay away from it when it is operating.
Check out "Cloud Busting, Rainmaking experiments and Etheric Rainmaking" and you will be amazed what is being done by scientists exploring the unknown rather than just being sceptical about it!
