Books
Books (co-sponsored)
- Handbook on Climate Change and Agriculture More
- Drought in Arid and Semi-Arid Environments: A Multi-Disciplinary and Cross-Country Perspective (in Press)
Publisher: Springer
Editors:
Kurt Schwabe, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California (Riverside), California, United States
Jeffery Connor, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Adelaide, Australia
Rashid Hassan, Centre for Environmental Economics and Policy for Africa, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
Jose Albiac, Agrifood Research and Technology Centre, Government of Aragon, Zaragoza, Spain
Liliana Meza-Gonzalez,Technical Secretary of the Social Cabinet, Office of the President, Mexico, and Universidad Iberoamericana
Abstract: Water scarcity and drought place severe stress on economic development, agricultural production, and ecological sustainability. Such stress is compounded in arid and semi-arid regions where precipitation is often trumped by evapotranspiration. Spain, Australia, South Africa, Mexico, and the United States all contain regions undergoing such stress, which is not surprising given their similar climatic and physical conditions.
The effectiveness of each country’s approach to drought is likely a function of the biophysical characteristics of the region, the characteristics of the urban, agricultural, and environmental demand for water, as well as the particular array of technical, economic, institutional, and policy-related measures adopted to address water demand and supply. The book provides a synthesis of how scientists, water managers, and policy have considered drought and water scarcity in these countries, with particular attention to their arid and semi-arid regions.