Monitoring Agricultural Drought in the West Indies - Monitoring and Predicting Agricultural Drought: A Global Study - page 153

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pumpkins in regions of porous (e.g., sandy-loam) soil to help retain surface
water; (3) planting deep-rooted crops along the edges of hilly terrain to pre-
vent soil erosion and loss of surface water; and (4) the use of intercropping,
where tall crops are planted to shade a shorter crop.
In the advent of prolonged drought, drought-assistance strategies come
into play. Often this involves trucking water to drought-stricken areas. A
Rapid Response Unit under the Jamaican Ministry of Water and Hous-
ing is responsible for installing water tanks in households and on farms
(at reduced cost) to mitigate drought impacts on humans, livestock, and
crops. Finally, in the case of severe drought causing total loss of a sea-
son's crop, many West Indian governments implement drought rehabilita-
tion programs, which include supply of fertilizers, seeds, land preparation
assistance, planting materials, livestock feed, or the installation of mini-
irrigation systems.
Between August 1997 and June 1998, Guyana experienced drier (75%
of normal rainfall) than normal conditions attributable to El Niño. Sugar-
cane production declined by 35%, and rice production for the spring sea-
son fell by 37%. Upon the request of the Guyanese government, CDERA
assessed the severity of the drought, its effects, and the resulting needs of
the sector, and formulated response strategies on a local, regional and in-
ternational scale. These responses included coordinating the purchase and
installation of water storage facilities and pumps for farmers in the most
severely affected areas; acquiring paddy seeds for replanting during the
next season; and obtaining grants and food rations for affected families.
Following the devastating effects of the 1997 El Niño event, the govern-
ment of Jamaica, through the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emer-
gency Management (ODPEM; www.odpem.org.jm), formulated a drought
plan and activated a drought response team. The drought plan addresses
domestic, agricultural, and industrial water needs throughout Jamaica, uti-
lizing a multiple-agencies approach to drought management. It is divided
into sections according to the disaster cycle, under the headings of pre-
paredness, mitigation, emergency response, rehabilitation, and develop-
ment. It calls for the activation of the response team during the period
identified as a meteorological drought by the meteorological office.
For drought preparedness activities, the Climate Studies Group Mona
was assigned the task of issuing advisories of impending drought to the
ODPEM and the Meteorological Office of Jamaica when appropriate. The
meteorological office, which maintains the water and climatological station
network in Jamaica and monitors meteorological drought indices, was
assigned the task of issuing warnings and alerts to the ODPEM and other
agencies, including the Ministry of Agriculture and the Rural Agricultural
Development Agencies ( www.radajamaica.com.jm).

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C onclusions and Recommendations
With agriculture being a major contributor to the economies of the indi-
vidual territories of the West Indies, monitoring the onset and evolution