Monitoring Agricultural Drought in the Near East - Monitoring and Predicting Agricultural Drought: A Global Study - page 216

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Line
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-2.6
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Norm
PgEn

Fig ure 16.5 Relative production fluctuations for barley in the major producing countries of
North Africa (from FAOSTAT, 2002).

and response (Wilhite and Svoboda, 2000). These functions can be exer-
cised by different ministries, authorities, communities, or nongovernmen-
tal organizations (NGOs) but require excellent coordination to make use
of all available human and financial resources. The common approach to
drought in the Near East has been one of crisis management rather than
long-term drought planning. When a drought becomes apparent, a gov-
ernment drought mitigation program is set up, usually steered by an in-
tergovernmental committee, headed by a lead ministry. When the drought
subsides, the program is terminated and the committee disbands. Given this
ad-hoc approach to drought management, it is not surprising that drought
monitoring systems that are integrated at national level are not operational.
Although drought affects major segments of society in the region, in gen-
eral there has been limited coordination of information from sources, such
as water supply or irrigation authorities, agricultural extension services,
meteorological departments, and NGOs about the extent and impact of
drought (De Pauw, 2000).
Generally speaking, most countries in the region do not have the well-
functioning drought monitoring systems that would allow them to take
timely action to mitigate the effects of droughts. For this reason, they often
appeal to the United Nations for assistance in the form of rapid assessment
missions to accurately assess the severity and extent of droughts and to
estimate food imports and emergency assistance requirements.
Particularly missing in this region are integrated spatial frameworks,
such as maps of agroecological and production system zones. Given the

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