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Matlou, Ringetani, Yonas T. Bahta, Enoch Owusu-Sekyere, and Henry Jordaan. "Impact of Agricultural Drought Resilience on the Welfare of Smallholder Livestock Farming Households in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa." Land 10, no. 6 (May 27, 2021): 562. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land10060562.
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Recurring agricultural droughts are of concern to smallholder livestock farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study determined the impact of agricultural drought resilience on smallholder livestock farming households’ welfare in the Frances Baard District Municipality (FBDM), in Northern Cape Province of South Africa. Interviews, more specifically survey interviews, were conducted with 207 smallholder livestock farmers. We used compensation variation, resilience index and linear regression models to analyse the data. The findings indicate that smallholder farmers who received drought relief support saw an improvement in their welfare. However, the welfare improvements varied across respondents and different gender categories, with males having higher welfare improvements relative to females. The study also found that economic capital, social capital, human capital and natural capital substantially affected the welfare of smallholder farmers. Furthermore, the study revealed that the smallholder farmers had a moderate agricultural drought resilience index, but low natural resilience capital. The study recommends that governments and non-governmental policymakers aiming to improve the welfare of smallholder farmers should focus on building their economic, social, human and capital resource bases. In this way, the smallholder farmers will be resilient in a time of climatic shock.
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Naumann, G., P. Barbosa, L. Garrote, A. Iglesias, and J. Vogt. "Exploring drought vulnerability in Africa: an indicator based analysis to be used in early warning systems." Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 18, no. 5 (May 6, 2014): 1591–604. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-1591-2014.
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Abstract. We propose a composite drought vulnerability indicator (DVI) that reflects different aspects of drought vulnerability evaluated at Pan-African level for four components: the renewable natural capital, the economic capacity, the human and civic resources, and the infrastructure and technology. The selection of variables and weights reflects the assumption that a society with institutional capacity and coordination, as well as with mechanisms for public participation, is less vulnerable to drought; furthermore, we consider that agriculture is only one of the many sectors affected by drought. The quality and accuracy of a composite indicator depends on the theoretical framework, on the data collection and quality, and on how the different components are aggregated. This kind of approach can lead to some degree of scepticism; to overcome this problem a sensitivity analysis was done in order to measure the degree of uncertainty associated with the construction of the composite indicator. Although the proposed drought vulnerability indicator relies on a number of theoretical assumptions and some degree of subjectivity, the sensitivity analysis showed that it is a robust indicator and hence able of representing the complex processes that lead to drought vulnerability. According to the DVI computed at country level, the African countries classified with higher relative vulnerability are Somalia, Burundi, Niger, Ethiopia, Mali and Chad. The analysis of the renewable natural capital component at sub-basin level shows that the basins with high to moderate drought vulnerability can be subdivided into the following geographical regions: the Mediterranean coast of Africa; the Sahel region and the Horn of Africa; the Serengeti and the Eastern Miombo woodlands in eastern Africa; the western part of the Zambezi Basin, the southeastern border of the Congo Basin, and the belt of Fynbos in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The results of the DVI at the country level were compared with drought disaster information from the EM-DAT disaster database. Even if a cause–effect relationship cannot be established between the DVI and the drought disaster database, a good agreement is observed between the drought vulnerability maps and the number of persons affected by droughts. These results are expected to contribute to the discussion on how to assess drought vulnerability and hopefully contribute to the development of drought early warning systems in Africa.
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Naumann, G., P. Barbosa, L. Garrote, A. Iglesias, and J. Vogt. "Exploring drought vulnerability in Africa: an indicator based analysis to inform early warning systems." Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions 10, no. 10 (October 8, 2013): 12217–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/hessd-10-12217-2013.
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Abstract. Drought vulnerability is a complex concept that includes both biophysical and socio-economic drivers of drought impact that determine capacity to cope with drought. In order to develop an efficient drought early warning system and to be prepared to mitigate upcoming drought events it is important to understand the drought vulnerability of the affected regions. We propose a composite Drought Vulnerability Indicator (DVI) that reflects different aspects of drought vulnerability evaluated at Pan-African level in four components: the renewable natural capital, the economic capacity, the human and civic resources, and the infrastructure and technology. The selection of variables and weights reflects the assumption that a society with institutional capacity and coordination, as well as with mechanisms for public participation is less vulnerable to drought; furthermore we consider that agriculture is only one of the many sectors affected by drought. The quality and accuracy of a composite indicator depends on the theoretical framework, on the data collection and quality, and on how the different components are aggregated. This kind of approach can lead to some degree of scepticism; to overcome this problem a sensitivity analysis was done in order to measure the degree of uncertainty associated with the construction of the composite indicator. Although the proposed drought vulnerability indicator relies on a number of theoretical assumptions and some degree of subjectivity, the sensitivity analysis showed that it is a robust indicator and hence able of representing the complex processes that lead to drought vulnerability. According to the DVI computed at country level, the African countries classified with higher relative vulnerability are Somalia, Burundi, Niger, Ethiopia, Mali and Chad. The analysis of the renewable natural capital component at sub-basin level shows that the basins with high to moderate drought vulnerability can be subdivided in three main different geographical regions: the Mediterranean coast of Africa; the Sahel region and the Horn of Africa; the Serengeti and the Eastern Miombo woodlands in eastern Africa. Additionally, the western part of the Zambezi basin, the south-eastern border of the Congo basin and the belt of Fynbos in the Western Cape should also be included in this category. The results of the DVI at the country level were compared with drought disasters information from the EM-DAT disaster database. Even if a cause effect relationship cannot be established between the DVI and the drought disaster database, a good agreement is observed between the drought vulnerability maps and the number of persons affected by droughts. These results are a valuable contribution to the discussion on how to assess drought vulnerability and should contribute to the development of drought early warning systems in Africa.
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Heim, Richard R., and Michael J. Brewer. "The Global Drought Monitor Portal: The Foundation for a Global Drought Information System." Earth Interactions 16, no. 15 (December 1, 2012): 1–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/2012ei000446.1.
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Abstract The international scientific community has long recognized the need for coordinated drought monitoring and response, but many factors have prevented progress in the development of a Global Drought Early Warning System (GDEWS): some of which involve administrative issues (coordinated international action and policy) while others involve scientific, technological, and logistical issues. The creation of the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) Portal within the United States provided an opportunity to take the first steps toward building the informational foundation for a GDEWS: that is, a Global Drought Information System (GDIS). At a series of workshops sponsored by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Group on Earth Observations (GEO) held in Asheville, North Carolina, in April 2010, it was recommended that a modular approach be taken in the creation of a GDIS and that the NIDIS Portal serve as the foundation for the GDIS structure. Once a NIDIS-based Global Drought Monitor (GDM) Portal (GDMP) established an international drought clearinghouse, the various components of a GDIS (drought monitoring, forecasting, impacts, history, research, and education) and later a GDEWS (drought relief, recovery, and planning) could be constructed atop it. The NIDIS Portal is a web-based information system created to address drought services and early warning in the United States, including drought monitoring, forecasting, impacts, mitigation, research, and education. This portal utilizes Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) web mapping services (WMS) to incorporate continental drought monitors into the GDMP. As of early 2012, the GDM has incorporated continental drought information for North America (North American Drought Monitor), Europe (European Drought Observatory), and Africa (African Drought Monitor developed by Princeton University); interest has been expressed by groups representing Australia and South America; and coordination with appropriate parties in Asia is also expected. Because of the range of climates across the world and the diverse nature of drought and the sectors it impacts, the construction and functioning of each continental drought monitor needs to be appropriate for the continent in question. The GDMP includes a suite of global drought indicators identified by experts and adopted by the WMO as the necessary measures to examine drought from a meteorological standpoint; these global drought indicators provide a base to assist the global integration and interpretation of the continental drought monitors. The GDMP has been included in recent updates to the GEO Work Plan and has benefited from substantial coordination with WMO on both their Global Framework for Climate Services and the National Drought Policy efforts. The GDMP is recognized as having the potential to be a major contributor to both of these activities.
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Ngqwala, Nosiphiwe P., C. Sunitha Srinivas, Roman Tandlich, Desmond M. Pyle, and Rene Oosthuizen. "Participatory Multi-Stakeholder Platforms in Disaster Management in South Africa." Journal of Disaster Research 12, no. 6 (November 29, 2017): 1192–202. http://dx.doi.org/10.20965/jdr.2017.p1192.
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South Africa is a country that is prone to droughts, earthquakes and other disasters. In this environment, non-governmental stakeholders often provide a substantial part of the relief in affected areas. Non-governmental stakeholders have the experience needed to address the various disaster management challenges currently facing South Africa. This is especially true in the context of local disasters. Therefore an attempt is made in this report to investigate the relevant legal framework, which allows for the formalization of the involvement of non-governmental stakeholders in official disaster management activities in South Africa. Parts of the basic disaster management legislation, i.e. the Disaster Management Act no. 57/2002, contain definitions and requirements for the establishment of the relevant multi-stakeholder crisis management platforms, i.e. the “disaster management advisory forums.” This legislation is analysed in relation to the Hyogo Framework for Action and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Disaster management systems from two cities in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, i.e. Knysna and Cape Town, were identified as models for the potential practical execution of these multi-stakeholder platforms at the local government level. Importance of additional aspects of the legal framework, e.g. the role of traditional leaders, are also outlined.
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Russo, V., A. E. Strever, and H. J. Ponstein. "Exploring sustainability potentials in vineyards through LCA? Evidence from farming practices in South Africa." International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment 26, no. 7 (April 28, 2021): 1374–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11367-021-01911-3.
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Abstract Purpose Following the urgency to curb environmental impacts across all sectors globally, this is the first life cycle assessment of different wine grape farming practices suitable for commercial conventional production in South Africa, aiming at better understanding the potentials to reduce adverse effects on the environment and on human health. Methods An attributional life cycle assessment was conducted on eight different scenarios that reduce the inputs of herbicides and insecticides compared against a business as usual (BAU) scenario. We assess several impact categories based on ReCiPe, namely global warming potential, terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, terrestrial toxicity, freshwater toxicity, marine toxicity, human carcinogenic toxicity and human non-carcinogenic toxicity, human health and ecosystems. A water footprint assessment based on the AWARE method accounts for potential impacts within the watershed. Results and discussion Results show that in our impact assessment, more sustainable farming practices do not always outperform the BAU scenario, which relies on synthetic fertiliser and agrochemicals. As a main trend, most of the impact categories were dominated by energy requirements of wine grape production in an irrigated vineyard, namely the usage of electricity for irrigation pumps and diesel for agricultural machinery. The most favourable scenario across the impact categories provided a low diesel usage, strongly reduced herbicides and the absence of insecticides as it applied cover crops and an integrated pest management. Pesticides and heavy metals contained in agrochemicals are the main contributors to emissions to soil that affected the toxicity categories and impose a risk on human health, which is particularly relevant for the manual labour-intensive South African wine sector. However, we suggest that impacts of agrochemicals on human health and the environment are undervalued in the assessment. The 70% reduction of toxic agrochemicals such as Glyphosate and Paraquat and the 100% reduction of Chlorpyriphos in vineyards hardly affected the model results for human and ecotoxicity. Our concerns are magnified by the fact that manual labour plays a substantial role in South African vineyards, increasing the exposure of humans to these toxic chemicals at their workplace. Conclusions A more sustainable wine grape production is possible when shifting to integrated grape production practices that reduce the inputs of agrochemicals. Further, improved water and related electricity management through drip irrigation, deficit irrigation and photovoltaic-powered irrigation is recommendable, relieving stress on local water bodies, enhancing drought-preparedness planning and curbing CO2 emissions embodied in products.
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Bento, Virgílio, Isabel Trigo, Célia Gouveia, and Carlos DaCamara. "Contribution of Land Surface Temperature (TCI) to Vegetation Health Index: A Comparative Study Using Clear Sky and All-Weather Climate Data Records." Remote Sensing 10, no. 9 (August 21, 2018): 1324. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs10091324.
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The Vegetation Health Index (VHI) is widely used for monitoring drought using satellite data. VHI depends on vegetation state and thermal stress, respectively assessed via (i) the Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) that usually relies on information from the visible and near infra-red parts of the spectrum (in the form of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI); and (ii) the Thermal Condition Index (TCI), based on top of atmosphere thermal infrared (TIR) brightness temperature or on TIR-derived Land Surface Temperature (LST). VHI is then estimated as a weighted average of VCI and TCI. However, the optimum weights of the two components are usually not known and VHI is usually estimated attributing a weight of 0.5 to both. Using a previously developed methodology for the Euro-Mediterranean region, we show that the multi-scalar drought index (SPEI) may be used to obtain optimal weights for VCI and TCI over the area covered by Meteosat satellites that includes Africa, Europe, and part of South America. The procedure is applied using clear-sky Meteosat Climate Data Records (CDRs) and all-sky LST derived by combining satellite and reanalysis data. Results obtained present a coherent spatial distribution of VCI and TCI weights when estimated using clear- and all-sky LST. This study paves the way for the development of a future VHI near-real time operational product for drought monitoring based on information from Meteosat satellites.
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Sholeye, Yusuf, and Amal Madibbo. "Religious Humanitarianism and the Evolution of Sudan People’s Liberation Army (1990-2005)." Political Crossroads 24, no. 1 (September 1, 2020): 23–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.7459/pc/24.1.03.
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During the Cold War, military and economic tensions between the US and the Soviet Union shaped the process of war in conflict regions in different parts of the world. The end of the Cold War in the early 1990s reshaped the balance of power in global politics, as new actors appeared on the global scene and global foreign policy shifted to mediating and providing humanitarian assistance in conflict regions zones. Humanitarianism became the method of conflict resolution, which provided humanitarian organizations, especially the religious ones among them, with the opportunity to have more influence in the outcomes of sociopolitical events occurring in the world. These dynamics impacted conflicts in Africa, especially within Sudan. This is because that era coincided with Sudan’s Second Civil War (1983-2005) between the Sudan People Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Government of Sudan (GofS). During the Cold War, both the US and Russia intervened in the civil war in Sudan by providing military and economic assistance to different parties, but, again, in the post-Cold War era humanitarianism was used in relation to the civil war. Transnational religious organizations provided humanitarian assistance in the war-torn and drought-afflicted regions in Southern Sudan, and sought to help implement peace initiatives to end the war. The organizations included Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS), a consortium of UN agencies and NGOs1 which was created in 1989. In addition, transnational religious groups based in the United States and Canada such as the Christian Solidarity International (CSI), the Canadian Crossroads, Catholic Relief Service, Mennonite Central Committee and the Lutheran Church got involved in humanitarian relief in Sudan. The global focus on religious humanitarianism extended to Southern Sudan as the New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC) was founded in 1989-1990 to coordinate the humanitarian assistance. Because SPLA has led the civil war on behalf of Southern Sudan and had suzerainty over territories there, the humanitarian organizations had to build relationships with the SPLA to deliver relief through Southern Sudan and negotiate peace initiatives. This article analyzes how the transnational activities of the religious humanitarian groups shaped the evolution of SPLA from 1990 to 2005, with a particular focus on the US and Canadian organizations. We will see that the organizations influenced SPLA in a manner that impacted the civil war both in positive and negative ways. The organizations were ambivalent as, on one hand, they aggravated the conflict and, on the other hand influenced the development of both Church and non-Church related peace initiatives. Their humanitarian work was intricate as the civil war itself became more complex due to political issues that involved slavery, and oil extraction in Southern Sudan by US and Canadian multinational oil companies. All the parties involved took action to help end the civil war, but they all sought to serve their own interests, which jeopardized the possibility of a lasting peace. Thus, the interpretation of that history provides ways to help solve the current armed conflict in South Sudan.
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du Pisani, L. G., H. J. Fouché, and J. C. Venter. "Assessing rangeland drought in South Africa." Agricultural Systems 57, no. 3 (July 1998): 367–80. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0308-521x(98)00024-9.
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Botai, Joel, Christina Botai, Jaco de Wit, Masinde Muthoni, and Abiodun Adeola. "Analysis of Drought Progression Physiognomies in South Africa." Water 11, no. 2 (February 11, 2019): 299. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w11020299.
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The spatial-temporal variability of drought characteristics and propagation mechanisms in the hydrological cycle is a pertinent topic to policymakers and to the diverse scientific community. This study reports on the analysis of drought characteristics and propagation patterns in the hydrological cycle over South Africa. In particular, the analysis considered daily precipitation and streamflow data spanning from 1985 to 2016, recorded from 74 weather stations, distributed across South Africa and covering the country’s 19 Water Management Areas (WMAs). The results show that all the WMAs experience drought features characterized by an inherent spatial-temporal dependence structure with transition periods categorized into short (1–3 months), intermediate (4–6 months), long (7–12 months) and extended (>12 months) time-scales. Coupled with climate and catchment characteristics, the drought propagation characteristics delineate the WMAs into homogenous zones subtly akin to the broader climatic zones of South Africa, i.e., Savanna, Grassland, Karoo, Fynbos, Forest, and Desert climates. We posit that drought evolution results emanating from the current study provide a new perspective of drought characterization with practical use for the design of drought monitoring, as well as early warning systems for drought hazard preparedness and effective water resources planning and management. Overall, the analysis of drought evolution in South Africa is expected to stimulate advanced drought research topics, including the elusive drought termination typology.
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Kabanda, Tibangayuka A. "Geographical Variability of Drought in Northern South Africa." Journal of Geography and Geology 9, no. 1 (February 28, 2017): 53. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/jgg.v9n1p53.
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This study focuses on the geographical variation of drought in northern South Africa (hereafter NSA). It assesses seasonal rainfall characteristics to determine drought occurrence and persistence in NSA. Seasonal rainfall data for the period 1960-2009 is used and was obtained from the South Africa Weather Service (SAWS). Rainfall stations in NSA are well distributed, forming a dense network of point-source data samples. Standardised Precipitation Indices (SPIs) are employed to detect drought occurrence and intensity at different locations. Analysis of SPIs with respect to time suggests that the severity of drought results from the accumulation of consecutive dry spells within a rainfall season and sometimes even consecutive dry rainfall seasons. It also shows the intensity and frequency of drought has increased in recent years. The trend towards worsening drought conditions has significant socioeconomic implications for the region and other areas with similar geographical settings.
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Dyer, J. A. "A Canadian Approach To Drought Monitoring For Famine Relief in Africa." Water International 14, no. 4 (January 1989): 198–205. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02508068908692107.
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Ballard, Charles. "Drought and Economic Distress: South Africa in the 1800s." Journal of Interdisciplinary History 17, no. 2 (1986): 359. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/204770.
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ROBERTS, L. C., L. S. VAN HELDEN, C. A. FOX, F. FIFF, and D. J. VISSER. "Provincial Veterinary Services respond to drought in South Africa." Revue Scientifique et Technique de l'OIE 39, no. 2 (August 1, 2020): 407–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.20506/rst.39.2.3092.
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Mdungela, Nomalanga M., Yonas T. Bahta, and Andries J. Jordaan. "Indicators for economic vulnerability to drought in South Africa." Development in Practice 27, no. 8 (October 9, 2017): 1050–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09614524.2017.1361384.
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Botai, Christina, Joel Botai, Jaco de Wit, Katlego Ncongwane, and Abiodun Adeola. "Drought Characteristics over the Western Cape Province, South Africa." Water 9, no. 11 (November 10, 2017): 876. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w9110876.
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Ssebagala, Ralph Abbey. "Relieving Consumer Overindebtedness in South Africa: Policy Reviews and Recommendations." Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning 28, no. 2 (2017): 235–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/1052-3073.28.2.235.
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A large fraction of South African consumers are highly leveraged, inadequately insured, and/or own little to no assets of value, which increases their exposure not only to idiosyncratic risk but also to severe indebtedness and/or default. This scenario can present negative ramifications that lead well beyond the confines of individual households. Thankfully, it can also be remedied by well-tailored legal debt relief mechanisms. This article reflects on the uncertainties surrounding the consumer debt relief framework of the National Credit Act in an attempt to show why it is not up to the challenge of providing meaningful relief to debt-distressed consumers. Ultimately, a comprehensive review of the current framework in favor of a discharge mechanism on simple, stated terms is proposed.
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Freeman, Scott, Jon Bates, Cindy Wallis-Lage, and John McEvoy. "Drought relief in South East, Queensland, Australia, provided by membrane-reclaimed water." Journal - American Water Works Association 100, no. 2 (February 2008): 40–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/j.1551-8833.2008.tb08141.x.
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Orimoloye, Israel Ropo, Leocadia Zhou, and Ahmed M. Kalumba. "Drought Disaster Risk Adaptation through Ecosystem Services-Based Solutions: Way Forward for South Africa." Sustainability 13, no. 8 (April 8, 2021): 4132. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su13084132.
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Ecosystem services refer to the direct and indirect benefits to humanity from an ecosystem. The ability to spatially incorporate multiple biophysical environments is crucial to ecosystem services, thus promoting cooperation between science and policy in seeking solutions to global challenges, including drought disasters. Therefore, understanding ecosystem services, for instance, from forest/vegetation in view of contributing to drought disaster risk adaptation is critical to human-nature interactions and proper sustainable conservation thereof. No known study has been done on ecosystem services and their contributions to drought management or other climate adaptation in South Africa. This study aimed at quantifying drought disaster risk adaptation based on ecosystem services in South Africa. It was identified that ecosystem services to society have been directly affected by anthropogenic and natural phenomena, thereby influencing drought severity and its impacts. These impacts and their associated risks are evident globally, including in South Africa. We found out that ecosystems in South Africa have been affected and extremely vulnerable to recurrent natural disasters, such as droughts. To achieve long-term solutions to such drought-related risks and challenges, feedback mechanisms between human-natural and related factors and ecosystem services-based drought adaptation need to be understood and planned. Timely spatiotemporal assessment, planning and management strategies need to be considered to find solutions or ways forward to South Africa in combating drought disasters.
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Bahta, Y. T., A. Jordaan, and F. Muyambo. "Communal farmers' perception of drought in South Africa: Policy implication for drought risk reduction." International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 20 (December 2016): 39–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2016.10.007.
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Xulu, Peerbhay, Gebreslasie, and Ismail. "Unsupervised Clustering of Forest Response to Drought Stress in Zululand Region, South Africa." Forests 10, no. 7 (June 26, 2019): 531. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/f10070531.
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Drought limits the production of plantation forests, notably in the drought-prone Zululand region of South Africa. During the last 40 years, the country has faced a series of severe droughts, however that of 2015 stands out as the most extreme and prolonged. The 2015 drought impaired forest productivity and led to widespread tree mortality in this region, but the identification of tree response to drought stress remains uncertain because of its spatial variability. To address this problem, a method that can capture drought patterns and identify trees with similar reactions to drought stress is desired. This could improve the accuracy of detecting trees suffering from drought stress which is key for forest management planning. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the utility of unsupervised mapping approaches in compartments of Eucalyptus trees with similar drought characteristics based on the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) and to demonstrate the value of cloud-based Google Earth Engine (GEE) resources for rapid landscape drought monitoring. Our results showed that calculating distances between pixels using three different matrices (Random Forest (RF) proximity, Euclidean and Manhattan) can accurately detect similarities within a dataset. The RF proximity matrix produced the best measures, which were clustered using Wards hierarchical clustering to detect drought with the highest overall accuracy of 87.7%, followed by Manhattan (85.9%) and Euclidean similarity measures (79.9%), with user and producer results between 84.2% to 91.2%, 42.8% to 98.2% and 37.2% to 94.7%, respectively. These results confirm the value of the RF proximity matrix and underscore the capability of automatic unsupervised mapping approaches for monitoring drought stress in tree plantations, as well as the value of using GEE for providing cost effective datasets to resource stricken countries.
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Turton, Anthony. "South Africa and the drought that exposed a young democracy." Water Policy 18, S2 (December 1, 2016): 210–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wp.2016.020.
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South Africa is a young democracy currently going through a crisis of leadership. The worst drought in recorded history has played out at regional level but against the backdrop of complex political dynamics. The government has lost significant capacity at the technical level, largely the result of political priorities driven by the need to decolonise society and the institutions of higher learning. This has manifest in the water sector as systemic failures of key instrumentation systems, rendering the El Niño event invisible until it hit. This case study of the El Niño event shows that drought management is embedded within a broader political process and is not simply a technical management issue. The Vaal River system sustains 60% of the national economy and 45% of the total population of the country, but water security in this system has been placed at risk because of political dynamics.
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Phiri, Darius, Pierre Ackerman, Brand Wessels, Ben du Toit, Marie Johansson, Harald Säll, Sven-Olof Lundqvist, and Thomas Seifert. "Biomass equations for selected drought-tolerant eucalypts in South Africa." Southern Forests: a Journal of Forest Science 77, no. 4 (July 3, 2015): 255–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.2989/20702620.2015.1055542.
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Makaya, Eugine, Melanie Rohse, Rosie Day, Coleen Vogel, Lyla Mehta, Lindsey McEwen, Sally Rangecroft, and Anne F. Van Loon. "Water governance challenges in rural South Africa: exploring institutional coordination in drought management." Water Policy 22, no. 4 (May 16, 2020): 519–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wp.2020.234.
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Abstract Droughts have severe direct impacts on the livelihoods of rural populations. Thus, the management of water for communal agriculture and water supply should be well coordinated to enhance drought resilience. Notwithstanding the interrelations among water management institutions in South Africa, there are complexities in the way these institutions work together, both in preparation for, and during drought times. In this article, we examine the governance of water resources in South Africa with a view to understanding institutional coordination in drought management at different operational scales. Using a qualitative approach, the roles and relationships between water actors at the local and regional level were analyzed for their adequacy in building local level drought resilience in a village in the Limpopo province, South Africa. Key informant interviews conducted revealed operational drought management challenges that emanate from communication barriers, coordination inconsistences, and undefined, unclear actor roles and responsibilities during disasters. The top-down approach to disaster management, while of some value, currently constrains the effectiveness of the local-level institutions implementing local drought risk reduction efforts. Achieving more successful water and drought governance endeavors could be enhanced by greater and wider engagement with community-based actors and water management institutions.
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Myeki, Vuyiseka A., and Yonas T. Bahta. "Determinants of Smallholder Livestock Farmers’ Household Resilience to Food Insecurity in South Africa." Climate 9, no. 7 (July 13, 2021): 117. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cli9070117.
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This study identified factors affecting livestock farmers’ agricultural drought resilience to food insecurity in Northern Cape Province, South Africa. Data of 217 smallholder livestock farmers were used in a principal component analysis to estimate the agricultural drought resilience index. The structural equation approach was then applied to assess smallholder livestock farmers’ resilience to food insecurity. The study found that most smallholder livestock farmers (81%) were not resilient to agricultural drought. Assets (β = 0.150), social safety nets (β = 0.001), and adaptive capacity (β = 0.171) indicators positively impacted households’ resilience to food insecurity with 5% significance. Climate change indicators negatively impacted households’ resilience to food insecurity. Two variables were included under climate change, focusing on drought, namely drought occurrence (β = −0.118) and drought intensity (β = −0.021), which had a negative impact on household resilience to food insecurity with 10% significance. The study suggests that smallholder livestock farmers need assistance from the government and various stakeholders to minimize vulnerability and boost their resilience to food insecurity.
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Baudoin, Marie-Ange, Coleen Vogel, Kirsty Nortje, and Myra Naik. "Living with drought in South Africa: lessons learnt from the recent El Niño drought period." International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 23 (August 2017): 128–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2017.05.005.
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Botai, Christina M., Joel O. Botai, Abiodun M. Adeola, Jaco P. de Wit, Katlego P. Ncongwane, and Nosipho N. Zwane. "Drought Risk Analysis in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa: The Copula Lens." Water 12, no. 7 (July 8, 2020): 1938. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w12071938.
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This research study was carried out to investigate the characteristics of drought based on the joint distribution of two dependent variables, the duration and severity, in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The drought variables were computed from the Standardized Precipitation Index for 6- and 12-month accumulation period (hereafter SPI-6 and SPI-12) time series calculated from the monthly rainfall data spanning the last five decades. In this context, the characteristics of climatological drought duration and severity were based on multivariate copula analysis. Five copula functions (from the Archimedean and Elliptical families) were selected and fitted to the drought duration and severity series in order to assess the dependency measure of the two variables. In addition, Joe and Gaussian copula functions were considered and fitted to the drought duration and severity to assess the joint return periods for the dual and cooperative cases. The results indicate that the dependency measure of drought duration and severity are best described by Tawn copula families. The dependence structure results suggest that the study area exhibited low probability of drought duration and high probability of drought severity. Furthermore, the multivariate return period for the dual case is found to be always longer across all the selected univariate return periods. Based on multivariate analysis, the study area (particularly Buffalo City, OR Tambo and Alfred Zoo regions) is determined to have higher/lower risks in terms of the conjunctive/cooperative multivariate drought risk (copula) probability index. The results of the present study could contribute towards policy and decision making through e.g., formulation of the forward-looking contingent plans for sustainable management of water resources and the consequent applications in the preparedness for and adaptation to the drought risks in the water-linked sectors of the economy.
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Vogel, Coleen, Ingrid Koch, and Koos Van Zyl. "“A Persistent Truth”—Reflections on Drought Risk Management in Southern Africa." Weather, Climate, and Society 2, no. 1 (January 1, 2010): 9–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/2009wcas1017.1.
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Abstract Severe droughts in southern Africa are associated with livelihood impacts, a strain on local economies, and other hardships. Extensive effort has been spent in the past trying to improve responses to periods of extensive drought. There have also been renewed calls for improvements to climate change adaptation by adopting more proactive governance and disaster risk reduction approaches. Few efforts, however, have been made to assess how to learn more from past drought efforts so as to enhance overall resilience to future drought risks. Few have examined the role and contributions of institutions and drought governance, either across spatial scales [from regional (i.e., Southern African Development Community) to national scales (e.g., South Africa) to the very local scale (e.g., Limpopo Province, South Africa)] or across temporal scales (over at least 100 yr). Despite calls for better risk management approaches at all levels, this paper illustrates two points. First, a failure to fully understand, integrate, and learn from past efforts may undermine current and future drought response. Second, state-led drought risk reduction, which remains focused on a financial “bail-out” mentality, with little follow-through on proactive rather than reactive drought responses, is also seriously contributing to the vulnerability of the region to future drought impacts.
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Mare, Frikkie, Yonas T. Bahta, and Walter Van Niekerk. "The impact of drought on commercial livestock farmers in South Africa." Development in Practice 28, no. 7 (August 10, 2018): 884–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09614524.2018.1493091.
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Nangombe, Shingirai, Tianjun Zhou, Lixia Zhang, and Wenxia Zhang. "Attribution Of The 2018 October–December Drought Over South Southern Africa." Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 101, no. 1 (January 1, 2020): S135—S140. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/bams-d-19-0179.1.
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Vogel, Coleen, and David Olivier. "Re-imagining the potential of effective drought responses in South Africa." Regional Environmental Change 19, no. 6 (August 9, 2018): 1561–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10113-018-1389-4.
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Araujo, Julio A., Babatunde J. Abiodun, and Olivier Crespo. "Impacts of drought on grape yields in Western Cape, South Africa." Theoretical and Applied Climatology 123, no. 1-2 (December 24, 2014): 117–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00704-014-1336-3.
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Orimoloye, I. R., O. O. Ololade, S. P. Mazinyo, A. M. Kalumba, O. Y. Ekundayo, E. T. Busayo, A. A. Akinsanola, and W. Nel. "Spatial assessment of drought severity in Cape Town area, South Africa." Heliyon 5, no. 7 (July 2019): e02148. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02148.
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Coetzee, Liza (ESM), Hanneke Du Preez, and Aideen Maher. "The Case For Tax Relief On Private Security Expenditures In South Africa." International Business & Economics Research Journal (IBER) 13, no. 2 (February 27, 2014): 419. http://dx.doi.org/10.19030/iber.v13i2.8458.
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Like other countries in transitional democracies, South Africa is experiencing high levels of crime since its first democratic election in 1994. About 83 percent of South Africans believe that the South African Police Service is corrupt and citizens are losing faith in the government to protect them as promised in the Constitution. As a result citizens are paying a large portion of their disposable income on security expenses to protect themselves and their property. Currently no tax relief is available for non-trade related security expenditure, as stated by the South African Revenue Services in 2008 after a public outcry to allow private security expenses as a deduction. This paper urges government to revisit its decision made in 2008. Private security expenses have become a necessity in the daily lives of South Africans. This was demonstrated by surveying four of the largest private security companies in an area of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (previously called Pretoria), South Africa. The paper ends by proposing three possible ways of providing tax relief for private security expenses.
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Edossa, Desalegn C., Yali E. Woyessa, and Worku A. Welderufael. "Analysis of Droughts in the Central Region of South Africa and Their Association with SST Anomalies." International Journal of Atmospheric Sciences 2014 (December 25, 2014): 1–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/508953.
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The objective of this study was to characterise meteorological droughts in the Central Region of South Africa using Standardised Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) and to examine if there is a relationship between drought and El Niño events. The SPEI was used to quantify the precipitation deficit over time and space across the catchment for the time-scales that are important for planning and management of water resources. Based on 12-month time-scale, the total number of drought events identified in the area using SPEI ranged between 13 and 20 during the period of analysis (1952–1999). Considering the effects of event magnitude and duration as severity parameters, the most severe drought event was identified during 1973 followed by 1995 based on 12-month time-scale. Moreover, it was also found that the number of moderate, severe, and extreme drought events identified by SPEI follows increasing trend with decade during the period of analysis. Results of Spearman’s rank correlation test revealed that the trends exhibited by mild (SPEI-3 and SPEI-6), moderate (SPEI-12), severe (SPEI-12), and extreme (SPEI-3) drought categories are statistically significant at 5% significance level. The study also revealed that drought events in the central region of South Africa are preceded by El Niño events in the tropical Pacific (Nino 3.4) with an average lag time of 8 months between the onsets of the two events. It was found that hydrological drought events in the study area lag behind meteorological drought events with an average lag time of 7.4 months. Findings of this study can be used to forecast drought events in the area for the proper planning and management of water resources.
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Nembilwi, Ndamulelo, Hector Chikoore, Edmore Kori, Rendani B. Munyai, and Tshilidzi C. Manyanya. "The Occurrence of Drought in Mopani District Municipality, South Africa: Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation." Climate 9, no. 4 (April 9, 2021): 61. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cli9040061.
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Mopani District Municipality in the northeast of South Africa is largely semi-arid and frequently affected by meteorological droughts. The recent 2015/16 event had devastating impacts on water levels, crop yields, livestock herds and rural livelihoods. We investigated the nature of the drought hazard; its impacts, including vulnerability of rural communities in Mopani District and adaptation strategies they have employed to cope with drought. A mixed methods approach with both quantitative and qualitative datasets was used. The district was divided into two distinct climatic areas: the drier eastern lowveld and the wetter western bushveld. Questionnaires were administered among community members whilst key informant interviews were conducted among relevant government and municipal officials. Climate data was used to characterize historical drought using a Standardized Precipitation and Evapotranspiration Index whilst vegetation anomaly maps were used to demonstrate impacts. Spatially distinct patterns of drought conditions were evident with harsh and dry conditions towards the east. It was found that nearly half the time there is some form of drought or another in the district mostly linked to the remote El Nino phenomenon. In several areas, rain-fed agriculture is no longer tenable, with a direct impact on rural livelihoods. A Household Vulnerability Index determined variable levels of vulnerability such that different strategies are employed to adapt to drought some of which cause environmental problems. Local government intervention strategies include supply of seeds and fertilisers, providing cheap fodder and supplying water using trucks. The findings of this study contribute to disaster risk reduction efforts in a region that is highly vulnerable to current and future climate-risks.
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Mussá, F. E. F., Y. Zhou, S. Maskey, I. Masih, and S. Uhlenbrook. "Groundwater as an emergency source for drought mitigation in the Crocodile River catchment, South Africa." Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions 11, no. 3 (March 6, 2014): 2719–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/hessd-11-2719-2014.
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Abstract. Global climate change has received much attention worldwide in the scientific as well as in the political community, indicating that changes in precipitation, extreme droughts and floods may threaten increasingly many regions. Drought is a natural phenomenon that may cause social, economical and environmental damages to the society. In this study, we assess the drought intensity and severity and the groundwater potential to be used as a supplement source of water to mitigate drought impacts in the Crocodile River catchment, a water-stressed sub-catchment of the Incomati River catchment in South Africa. The research methodology consists mainly of three parts. First, the spatial and temporal variation of the meteorological and hydrological drought severity and intensity over the catchment were evaluated. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was used to analyse the meteorological drought and the Standardized Runoff Index (SRI) was used for the hydrological drought. Second, the water deficit in the catchment during the drought period was computed using a simple water balance method. Finally, a groundwater model was constructed in order to assess the feasibility of using groundwater as an emergency source for drought impact mitigation. Results show that the meteorological drought severity varies accordingly with the precipitation; the low rainfall areas are more vulnerable to severe meteorological droughts (lower and upper crocodile). Moreover, the most water stressed sub-catchments with high level of water uses but limited storage, such as the Kaap located in the middle catchment and the Lower Crocodile sub-catchments are those which are more vulnerable to severe hydrological droughts. The analysis of the potential groundwater use during droughts showed that a deficit of 97 Mm3 yr−1 could be supplied from groundwater without considerable adverse impacts on the river base flow and groundwater storage. Abstraction simulations for different scenarios of extremely severe droughts reveal that it is possible to use groundwater to cope with the droughts in the catchment. However, local groundwater exploitation in Nelspruit and White River sub-catchment will cause large drawdowns (> 10 m) and high base flow reduction (> 20%). This case study shows that conjunctive water management of groundwater and surface water resources is the necessary to mitigate the impacts of droughts.
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Adisa, Omolola M., Muthoni Masinde, and Joel O. Botai. "Assessment of the Dissimilarities of EDI and SPI Measures for Drought Determination in South Africa." Water 13, no. 1 (January 1, 2021): 82. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w13010082.
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This study examines the (dis)similarity of two commonly used indices Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) computed over accumulation periods 1-month, 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month (hereafter SPI-1, SPI-3, SPI-6, and SPI-12, respectively) and Effective Drought Index (EDI). The analysis is based on two drought monitoring indicators (derived from SPI and EDI), namely, the Drought Duration (DD) and Drought Severity (DS) across the 93 South African Weather Service’s delineated rainfall districts over South Africa from 1980 to 2019. In the study, the Pearson correlation coefficient dissimilarity and periodogram dissimilarity estimates were used. The results indicate a positive correlation for the Pearson correlation coefficient dissimilarity and a positive value for periodogram of dissimilarity in both the DD and DS. With the Pearson correlation coefficient dissimilarity, the study demonstrates that the values of the SPI-1/EDI pair and the SPI-3/EDI pair exhibit the highest similar values for DD, while the SPI-6/EDI pair shows the highest similar values for DS. Moreover, dissimilarities are more obvious in SPI-12/EDI pair for DD and DS. When a periodogram of dissimilarity is used, the values of the SPI-1/EDI pair and SPI-6/EDI pair exhibit the highest similar values for DD, while SPI-1/EDI displayed the highest similar values for DS. Overall, the two measures show that the highest similarity is obtained in the SPI-1/EDI pair for DS. The results obtainable in this study contribute towards an in-depth knowledge of deviation between the EDI and SPI values for South Africa, depicting that these two drought indices values are replaceable in some rainfall districts of South Africa for drought monitoring and prediction, and this is a step towards the selection of the appropriate drought indices.
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Mussá, F. E. F., Y. Zhou, S. Maskey, I. Masih, and S. Uhlenbrook. "Groundwater as an emergency source for drought mitigation in the Crocodile River catchment, South Africa." Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 19, no. 2 (February 26, 2015): 1093–106. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1093-2015.
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Abstract. Global climate change has received much attention worldwide in the scientific as well as in the political community, indicating that changes in precipitation, extreme droughts and floods may increasingly threaten many regions. Drought is a natural phenomenon that causes social, economical and environmental damage to society. In this study, we assess the drought intensity and severity and the groundwater potential to be used as a supplementary source of water to mitigate drought impacts in the Crocodile River catchment, a water-stressed sub-catchment of the Incomati River catchment in South Africa. The research methodology consists of three parts. First, the spatial and temporal variation of the meteorological and hydrological drought severity and intensity over the catchment were evaluated. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was used to analyse the meteorological drought and the Standardized Runoff Index (SRI) was used for the hydrological drought. Second, the water deficit in the catchment during the drought period was computed using a simple water balance method. Finally, a groundwater model was constructed in order to assess the feasibility of using groundwater as an emergency source for drought impact mitigation. Results show that the low-rainfall areas are more vulnerable to severe meteorological droughts (lower and upper crocodile). Moreover, the most water stressed sub-catchments with high level of water uses but limited storage, such as the Kaap located in the middle catchment and the Lower Crocodile sub-catchments, are more vulnerable to severe hydrological droughts. The analysis of the potential groundwater use during droughts showed that a deficit of 97 Mm3 yr−1 could be supplied from groundwater without considerable adverse impacts on the river base flow and groundwater storage. Abstraction simulations for different scenarios of extremely severe droughts reveal that it is possible to use groundwater to cope with the droughts in the catchment. However, local groundwater exploitation in Nelspruit and White River sub-catchment will cause large drawdowns (> 10 m) and high base flow reduction (> 20%). This case study shows that conjunctive water management of groundwater and surface water resources is necessary to mitigate the impacts of droughts.
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Liu, Wenbin, Fubao Sun, Wee Ho Lim, Jie Zhang, Hong Wang, Hideo Shiogama, and Yuqing Zhang. "Global drought and severe drought-affected populations in 1.5 and 2 °C warmer worlds." Earth System Dynamics 9, no. 1 (March 19, 2018): 267–83. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/esd-9-267-2018.
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Abstract. The 2015 Paris Agreement proposed a more ambitious climate change mitigation target on limiting global warming to 1.5 ∘C instead of 2 ∘C above preindustrial levels. Scientific investigations on environmental risks associated with these warming targets are necessary to inform climate policymaking. Based on the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) climate models, we present the first risk-based assessment of changes in global drought and the impact of severe drought on populations from additional 1.5 and 2 ∘C warming conditions. Our results highlight the risk of drought on a global scale and in several hotspot regions such as the Amazon, northeastern Brazil, southern Africa and Central Europe at both 1.5 and 2 ∘C global warming relative to the historical period, showing increases in drought durations from 2.9 to 3.2 months. Correspondingly, more total and urban populations would be exposed to severe droughts globally (+132.5 ± 216.2 million and +194.5 ± 276.5 million total population and +350.2 ± 158.8 million and +410.7 ± 213.5 million urban populations in 1.5 and 2 ∘C warmer worlds) and regionally (e.g., East Africa, West Africa and South Asia). Less rural populations (−217.7 ± 79.2 million and −216.2 ± 82.4 million rural populations in 1.5 and 2 ∘C warmer worlds) would be exposed to severe drought globally under climate warming, population growth and especially the urbanization-induced population migration. By keeping global warming at 1.5 ∘C above the preindustrial levels instead of 2 ∘C, there is a decrease in drought risks (i.e., less drought duration, less drought intensity and severity but relatively more frequent drought) and the affected total, urban and rural populations would decrease globally and in most regions. While challenging for both East Africa and South Asia, the benefits of limiting warming to below 1.5 ∘C in terms of global drought risk and impact reduction are significant.
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Ndlovu, Minenhle Siphesihle, and Molla Demlie. "Assessment of Meteorological Drought and Wet Conditions Using Two Drought Indices Across KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa." Atmosphere 11, no. 6 (June 12, 2020): 623. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/atmos11060623.
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South Africa has been experiencing a series of droughts for the last few years, limiting the availability of water supply in reservoirs and impacting many sectors of the economy. These droughts have affected even the wetter eastern provinces including KwaZulu-Natal. This paper presents the results of analyses and assessment of meteorological drought across KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province of South Africa using two drought indices. The main objective of the study is to understand the changes in rainfall patterns for a period of 48 years (i.e., 1970 to 2017) and identify wet and dry years. The percent of normal precipitation index (PNPI) and rainfall anomaly index (RAI) were used to explore and categorize the wet and dry periods at 18 selected rainfall gauging stations across the province. Mann–Kendall statistics and Sen’s slope were employed on the indices to further understand the trend of drought conditions. The results revealed that 1992 and 2014/15 were the most extremely dry years with 2015 being the driest year over the studied period induced by El Niño. The extremely wet periods were 1987, 1996, and 2000 which have been associated with cyclonic events. Droughts have become more frequent and intense, while wet conditions are less frequent. The drought condition was observed not to be peculiar to one region and to vary from year-to-year. These variations have been associated with global climate drivers including El Niño-southern oscillation (ENSO) and sea surface temperature (SST) conditions. The northern region around Magudu, Hlobane, Vryheid and Dundee were relatively the most affected during periods of extreme drought conditions. Comparative analysis showed that RAI is more robust than PNPI in understanding drought conditions. Thus, it can be applied effectively in Southern Africa in analyzing dry and wet conditions.
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Meza, Isabel, Ehsan Eyshi Rezaei, Stefan Siebert, Gohar Ghazaryan, Hamideh Nouri, Olena Dubovyk, Helena Gerdener, et al. "Drought risk for agricultural systems in South Africa: Drivers, spatial patterns, and implications for drought risk management." Science of The Total Environment 799 (December 2021): 149505. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149505.
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Zhang, Lei, Wei Song, and Wen Song. "Assessment of Agricultural Drought Risk in the Lancang-Mekong Region, South East Asia." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 17 (August 24, 2020): 6153. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176153.
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Natural disasters worldwide regularly impact on human activities. As a frequently occurring natural disaster, drought has adverse impacts on agricultural production. The Lancang-Mekong River is a transnational river running through China and five Southeast Asian countries and it is a vital water resource for irrigation in the region. Drought in the Lancang-Mekong Region (LMR) has occurred frequently in recent years. Assessing the risk of drought in the region is essential for rational planning of agricultural production and formulation of drought relief measures. In this study, an assessment of drought risk has been achieved by combining the hazard and vulnerability assessments for drought. The assessment of the drought hazard depends mainly on the standardized precipitation index (SPI). The assessment of drought vulnerability takes into account various indicators such as climatic factors (e.g., crop water stress index), soil factors (e.g., available water capacity), and irrigation factors (e.g., irrigation support). The results reveal that: (1) Drought distribution in the LMR is characterized by a spreading of the drought to countries along the middle and lower reaches of the Mekong River. Countries located in the middle and lower reaches of the Mekong River are more prone to drought. Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia are the regions with higher and high-drought risk levels. (2) The spatial distributions for the drought hazard and the drought vulnerability in the LMR exhibit significant differences as evidenced in the mapping results. High-hazard and high-vulnerability areas are mainly distributed in the middle LMR, and the middle to higher hazard areas and the middle to higher vulnerability areas are mainly distributed in the south-central LMR, while the low-hazard areas and the low-vulnerability areas are mainly in the north. (3) The majority of planting areas for sugarcane, rice, and cassava are located in the high-hazard areas. The distributions of drought-prone and high-hazard areas also correspond to the main agricultural areas in the LMR.
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Tan, Ömer Faruk. "Mutual Fund Performance: Evidence From South Africa." EMAJ: Emerging Markets Journal 5, no. 2 (November 12, 2015): 49–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.5195/emaj.2015.83.
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This paper aims to evaluate the performance of South African equity funds between January 2009 and November 2014. This study period overlaps with the study period of quantitative easing during which developing economies in financial markets have been influenced severely. Thanks to the increase in the money supply directed towards the capital markets, a relief was experienced in related markets following the crisis period. During this 5-year 10-month period, in which the relevant quantitative easing continued, Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) yielded approximately %16 compounded on average, per year. In this study, South African equity funds are examined in order to compare these funds' performance within this period.Within this scope- 10 South African equity funds are selected. In order to measure these funds' performances, the Sharpe ratio (1966), Treynor ratio (1965), Jensen's alpha (1968) methods are used. Jensen's alpha is also used in identifying selectivity skills of fund managers. Furthermore, the Treynor & Mazuy (1966) and Henriksson & Merton (1981) regression analysis methods are applied to ascertain the market timing ability of fund managers. Furthermore, Treynor & Mazuy (1966) regression analysis method is applied for market timing ability of fund managers.
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Vetter, S., VL Goodall, and R. Alcock. "Effect of drought on communal livestock farmers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa." African Journal of Range & Forage Science 37, no. 1 (January 2, 2020): 93–106. http://dx.doi.org/10.2989/10220119.2020.1738552.
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Huffman, T. N., and S. Woodborne. "Cultural proxies for drought in the Iron Age of South-eastern Africa." Quaternary International 404 (June 2016): 191. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2015.08.148.
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O'Meagher, B., L. G. du Pisani, and D. H. White. "Evolution of drought policy and related science in Australia and South Africa." Agricultural Systems 57, no. 3 (July 1998): 231–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0308-521x(98)00017-1.
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Omolola M. ADISA, Joel O. BOTAI, Abiodun M. ADEOLA, Christina M. BOTAI, Abubeker HASSEN, Daniel DARKEY, Eyob TESFAMARIAM, Abidemi T. ADISA, and Alex F. ADISA. "Analysis of drought conditions over major maize producing provinces of South Africa." Journal of Agricultural Meteorology 75, no. 4 (2019): 173–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.2480/agrmet.d-18-00049.
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Xulu, Sifiso, Kabir Peerbhay, Michael Gebreslasie, and Riyad Ismail. "Drought Influence on Forest Plantations in Zululand, South Africa, Using MODIS Time Series and Climate Data." Forests 9, no. 9 (August 30, 2018): 528. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/f9090528.
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South Africa has a long history of recurrent droughts that have adversely affected its economic performance. The recent 2015 drought has been declared the most serious in 26 years and impaired key agricultural sectors including the forestry sector. Research on the forests’ responses to drought is therefore essential for management planning and monitoring. The effects of the latest drought on the forests in South Africa have not been studied and are uncertain. The study reported here addresses this gap by using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and precipitation data retrieved and processed using the JavaScript code editor in the Google Earth Engine (GEE) and the corresponding normalized difference infrared index (NDII), Palmer drought severity index (PDSI), and El Niño time series data for KwaMbonambi, northern Zululand, between 2002 and 2016. The NDVI and NDII time series were decomposed using the Breaks for Additive Seasonal and Trend (BFAST) method to establish the trend and seasonal variation. Multiple linear regression and Mann–Kendall tests were applied to determine the association of the NDVI and NDII with the climate variables. Plantation trees displayed high NDVI values (0.74–0.78) from 2002 to 2013; then, they decreased sharply to 0.64 in 2015. The Mann–Kendall trend test confirmed a negative significant (p = 0.000353) trend between 2014 and 2015. This pattern was associated with a precipitation deficit and low NDII values during a strong El Niño phase. The PDSI (−2.6) values indicated severe drought conditions. The greening decreased in 2015, with some forest remnants showing resistance, implying that the tree species had varying sensitivity to drought. We found that the plantation trees suffered drought stress during 2015, although it seems that the trees began to recover, as the NDVI signals rose in 2016. Overall, these results demonstrated the effective use of the NDVI- and NDII-derived MODIS data coupled with climatic variables to provide insights into the influence of drought on plantation trees in the study area.
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Theron, Linda, Motlalepule Ruth Mampane, Liesel Ebersöhn, and Angie Hart. "Youth Resilience to Drought: Learning from a Group of South African Adolescents." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 21 (October 28, 2020): 7896. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17217896.
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Exposure to drought is on the increase, also in sub-Saharan Africa. Even so, little attention has been paid to what supports youth resilience to the stressors associated with drought. In response, this article reports a secondary analysis of qualitative data generated in a phenomenological study with 25 South African adolescents (average age 15.6; majority Sepedi-speaking) from a drought-impacted and structurally disadvantaged community. The thematic findings show the importance of personal, relational, and structural resources that fit with youths’ sociocultural context. Essentially, proactive collaboration between adolescents and their social ecologies is necessary to co-advance socially just responses to the challenges associated with drought.