Drought management: Current challenges and future outlook

Abstract

The effect of drought on agricultural productivity is widely recognized, but the social, political, and psychological effects of drought may be equally important, especially in a world with increasing urbanization. This chapter discusses the broader aspects of drought and the associated challenges, with a view toward the future in an uncertain world. One of the greatest challenges during the following decades and even centuries is the guarantee of sufficient water supply to all regions of the world. This task is becoming more and more difficult, mainly due to droughts and water scarcity in all continents. First, drought definitions, principles, features, and forecasting and monitoring of droughts and their environmental, economic, and social impacts are discussed. Second, several impacts, including drought vulnerability, impact on urbanization, climate change, agriculture, biotechnology, water contamination, water conservation techniques, and wastewater management, are described. Third, the basic issues of drought management in many areas, including farming, horticulture, urban context, landscape and rural security, crisis management, deficit irrigation, risk mitigation, rainwater harvesting, optimization, and policymaking, are considered. Drought conditions have spread around the world, namely, in the five continents. An overview of historical drought case studies is presented in the five continents, where Africa is the most affected continent, followed by Asia. This chapter, as the final chapter of the three-volume set, presents the current challenges through the most current developments in the theoretical and practical aspects of forecasting and monitoring droughts, assessing their consequences in many areas, and developing optimal management strategies to reduce or even prevent their negative effects on the environment, economy, and human life. Future outlooks would be defined at the end. © 2018 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.