Drought Management in Semi-Arid and Arid Environments for Food Security

Dear Colleagues,

Drought is defined as the lowest decile of rainfall, and the perceived severity of drought (in terms of a low soil moisture) is increasing due to the higher evaporative demand which results from the projected overall rise in temperature. Some of the potential significant consequences of drought include impacts on food security, land sustainability, ecosystem services, socioeconomics, plant and community health, and land subsidence. Communities can become more resilient to drought by employing indigenous best management practices (BMPs); if necessary, modifications are made based on the knowledge of spatial variability which is useful for a site-specific management at the landscape level. Semi-arid and arid environments (worldwide) regularly confront drought. In the coming decades, the region is expected to become hotter and drier with climate change, a trend that will increase the likelihood of even more extreme droughts. Simultaneously, deforestation and other poor land-use practices, such as intensive farming, can diminish the quality of soil and reduce the land's ability to absorb and retain water. Despite the severity of past droughts and the likelihood of future droughts, many countries of the region have not had an objective forecast-based early warning system and response mechanism to enable them to identify the onset of drought. The integrated drought risk management is based on three pillars that centre around interconnected, multi-disciplinary, and multi-institutional activities. These pillars are: (1) a vulnerability and impact assessment; (2) monitoring and early warning systems; and (3) mitigation, preparedness, and response. Each pillar is fundamental in promoting proactive drought management measures, and if one of the pillars is not implemented, this will lead to the failure of strengthening the region’s drought resilience.  

This Special Issue aims to document the work conducted across the region on the integrated drought risk management. Further, the respective BMPs along with region-specific frameworks will also be considered for this Special Issue. This will be an opportunity to raise the voice of the land, as encouraged by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and promote practices that reduce and ultimately avoid land degradation and achieve a land degradation neutrality for the security of our food.

Key Facts—Drought

• Drought is defined by the lowest decile of rainfall, and its perceived severity is on an increasing trend due to global warming.
• Potential significant consequences of drought include impacts on food security, land sustainability, ecosystem services, socioeconomics, plant health, land subsidence, and human health.
• Drought affects everyone, not just farmers. It is a global and urgent issue.
• Dought is increasing in frequency and severity, up to 29% since 2000, with 55 million people being affected annually.
• By 2050, drought may affect an estimated three-quarters of the world's population.
• Semi-arid and arid regions regularly confront drought and there is a likelihood of even more extreme events.
• Tools are available to assess the management of the risk of drought. Solutions exist to ensure that lives and livelihoods are no longer lost to drought. The integrated drought risk management is a pre-requisite that is based on three interconnected pillars:

• Everyone can participate in actions that increase our collective resilience because every action counts.
• Action can be taken at all levels, from citizens, businesses, governments, and UN partners; everyone can be involved and lend a helping hand to combat drought together.
• Communities can act to be more resilient to drought by employing indigenous best management practices (BMPs) for a site-specific management.

Dr. Waqar Ahmad
Dr. Ram Dalal
Dr. Yash Dang
Guest Editors

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• land degradation nuetrality
• integrated drought risk mangement
• food security
• aridity index
• best management practices