Drought is a major natural hazard in the Bolivian Altiplano that causes large losses to farmers. Here, precipitation and temperature were used to predict agricultural droughts. In addition, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was used to simulate quinoa and potato yield. And, the NDVI was used to target specific drought hotspot regions. A significant decrease of crop yields can be expected during positive ENSO phases. The study findings can be used for disaster risk management.
Drought is a major natural hazard in the Bolivian Altiplano that causes large losses to farmers....
Received: 26 Dec 2018 – Accepted for review: 25 Mar 2019 – Discussion started: 27 Mar 2019
Abstract. Drought is a major natural hazard in the Bolivian Altiplano that causes large losses to farmers, especially during positive ENSO phases. However, empirical data for drought risk estimation purposes are scarce and spatially uneven distributed. Due to these limitations, similar to many other regions in the world, we tested the performance of satellite imagery data for providing precipitation and temperature data. The results show that droughts can be better predicted using a combination of satellite imagery and ground-based available data. Consequently, the satellite climate data were associated with the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in order to evaluate the crop production variability. Moreover, NDVI was used to target specific drought hotspot regions. Furthermore, during positive ENSO phase (El Niño years), a significant decrease in crop yields can be expected and we indicate areas where losses will be most pronounced. The results can be used for emergency response operations and enable a pro-active approach to disaster risk management against droughts. This includes economic-related and risk reduction strategies such as insurance and irrigation.
Drought is a major natural hazard in the Bolivian Altiplano that causes large losses to farmers. Here, precipitation and temperature were used to predict agricultural droughts. In addition, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was used to simulate quinoa and potato yield. And, the NDVI was used to target specific drought hotspot regions. A significant decrease of crop yields can be expected during positive ENSO phases. The study findings can be used for disaster risk management.
Drought is a major natural hazard in the Bolivian Altiplano that causes large losses to farmers....