Drought is a silent phenomenon, which arrives without warning and which, normally, we realize when it has been with us for weeks or months.
Europe’s climate change-induced droughts endanger food security, spur calls to embrace biotechnology and other sustainable measures The scientific community has preferably dealt with studying drought in regions or countries (Sahel , Horn of Africa, South Africa, Australia…) where the problem is pressing and the consequences are dramatic in most cases. This is understandable, but it means that the focus is not so focused on other geographical areas. In a paper recently published in the Global and Planetary Change journal, we have analyzed the evolution of soil moisture in Europe over the last thirty years. And we have come to a clear conclusion: the soil has less and less water.
Droughts endanger food security, Drought can be defined as a prolonged period of scarcity of water resources capable of causing adverse effects on society, production systems and ecosystems. There are different typologies of drought according to the reference hydrological process and the natural or socioeconomic environment that it most directly affects. Agricultural drought is usually the one that has the greatest social impact, since it affects a sector that is as sensitive and exposed as it is relevant from the socioeconomic point of view. The agricultural drought not only affects the income of farmers, the first victims, but also puts in check the food security of the regions with which it is fattened. As a consequence, it exacerbates social and economic inequalities, acts as a catalyst for social conflicts, activates migratory flows and intensifies health crises.
Source: This news is originally published by geneticliteracyproject