The study “Drought preparedness and drought mitigation in the developing world’s drylands” looks at drought as an extreme climatic event that will affect food security for more than two billion people residing in dry areas. Drought impacts will go on to influence economic development, land degradation, and increase social conflicts.
Climate models are unanimous in their predictions that significant parts of our planet will become drier and hotter.
The paper presents successful research results and case studies on the application of some innovative techniques demonstrating excellent results to cope with drought and contribute to food security in dry areas.
The Dryland Systems program is an integrated agro-ecosystems approach and science-based solution to help areas prepare and cope for drought and water scarcity.
This approach also involves crops, livestock, rangeland, trees, soils, water, and policies. Researchers believe that a broad and more inclusive path is more sustainable and will have the best result in improving the livelihoods of people threatened by droughts and water scarcity.
The study also features, managing irrigation and agricultural systems efficiently, and the value of conserving and collecting dryland crops and their wild varieties to safeguard valuable plant genetic materials to bolsters resilient food protection amid an extreme climate in the future.
The information and learnings from the study will be beneficial to areas that are regularly experiencing droughts, especially of its direct effect on food production.
As climate change will make drought and water scarcity a more regular event, this study will encourage communities and local government to find innovative ways of climate change adaptation and protect their food security for years to come.
To read more about the Dryland System approach and the drought adaptation and mitigation strategies applied in the study, click on the link below:
Source citation:
Sohl, M. & van Ginkel, M. (2014, June). Drought preparedness and drought mitigation in the developing world’s drylands. Elsevier. Weather and Climate Extremes. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221209471400019X
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