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Millet seed heads
2.3.5

How is drought resilience being planned in Southern Africa?

Seed fairs help improve Training in crop diversifica on Training in disease One common problem during prolonged
the variety and resilience and improved soil management and pest management droughts is that hungry, desperate people eat
of the crops grown and techniques improves yields can help deal with the seeds that they would normally keep for
build links between the and maintains a healthy outbreaks of locusts plan ng in the following season. This makes it
farmers and the and produc ve soil. or armyworms. harder for them to get back on track once the
seed merchants.
drought has finished. Farmers may o en get
into long-term debt borrowing money to buy
Early warning
Training in pastoral systems put in place seeds.
herd management to iden fy threats and In Malawi, the Food and Agriculture
Fig.261
and holis c grazing ensure that any Organisa on (FAO) of the United Na ons
BUILDING IN
can help create BUILDING IN na onal or organised seed fairs bringing together seed
RESILIENCESILIENCE
healthier stock and RE interna onal merchants and local farmers. Farmers were
improve the responses are given vouchers which they could exchange for
produc vity of appropriate and mely. cereal seeds, legumes and vegetable seeds.
pastures.
The seed fairs help strengthen the local
Immediate food aid agricultural market and ensure that local
during the crisis farmers have access to the best cer fied seed.
Vegetable seed and chicken Vaccina on of ca le against keeps people alive Farmers are encouraged to plant a variety of
packages help small farmers foot and mouth disease or and families together. different crops. These varie es are be er able
get back on their feet anthrax helps herds be er Once the crisis has past to withstand the rigours of disease, pests and
a er the drought. cope with stresses of drought. they can rebuild their other hazards.
The 2016 El Niño drought came to a Fields, recently planted in an Fig.262 Malawi farmer with her crop of finger millet.
drama c end when Cyclone Dineo expecta on of the rains to come, were
made landfall on the Mozambique coast inundated with flood waters. Alongside
on March 15th 2017. La Niña had the rains came swarms of locusts and
arrived. Three weeks later Cyclone infesta ons of armyworms; caterpillars
Enawo made landfall in Madagascar. The that eat their way through vast
storms resulted in deaths, popula on quan es of farm crops.
displacement and large-scale damage to It is hoped that Southern Africa can
homes, infrastructure and crops.
not only recover from the most recent El
Flooding across the region was Niño but become be er prepared for
significant, with many rivers swollen. future El Niño events.

Your Revision checklist
1. What is meant by drought? (1)
You must revise how the climate has changed from the
beginning of the Quaternary period to the present day, including ice 2. Explain why droughts can have more than
ages and periods of warming and cooling since 1000AD. one cause. (4)
You should be aware of the evidence for climate change over 3. How does a La Niña event affect the
different me periods. You must know the natural causes of climate coastal areas of Peru and Ecuador? (2)
change including varia ons in energy from the Sun, changes in the 4. Outline the three phases of ENSO and
Earth's orbit and volcanic ac vity. In addi on you must revise how human ac vity is their impact on the climate of the Pacific. (6)
responsible for the enhanced greenhouse effect. This should include a range of
consequences of climate change being experienced across the planet. 5. How does an El Niño event affect the
climate of the planet? (4)
You should study the distribu on of the clima c regions of the world. Outline
how global circula on of the atmosphere is controlled by the movement of air 6. Describe the impact of El Niño on the
between the poles and the Equator and how this leads to extreme weather climate of South East Asia and Southern
condi ons in different parts of the world. Africa. (4)
You should be able to outline the causes of the extreme weather condi ons 7. Discuss how the global community have
that are associated with the hazards of tropical storms and drought, as well as the responded to a drought caused by El
distribu on and frequency of tropical storms and drought, and whether these have
changed over me. Niño/La Niña that you have studied. (8)
Case study of one drought event caused by El Niño/La Niña including the 8. Why did the people of Southern Africa
causes and effects of the drought and how people have adapted. con nue to struggle a er the end of the
2016 El Ni o drought? (6)ñ

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Drought can be devastating for people and the environment.