Drought Assessment Using SPEI and NDVI: Case of Lesotho

While drought conditions are generally a common and recurring phenomenon of the climate in Southern Africa especially Lesotho, the frequency of droughts in Lesotho has increased significantly over the past few years. Lesotho has suffered the devastating impacts of drought during the past several decades resulting in poor harvests and large livestock losses to rural farmers. The majority of the population in Lesotho engages with rain- fed agriculture and is dependent to some degree on own production for household food supply and/or cash income (Dejene, Midgley, & Marake, 2011). Any negative changes in precipitation and droughts exacerbate poverty and suffering amongst the most vulnerable communities in Lesotho. For these reasons, it is imperative to understand the nature of droughts, particularly agricultural drought and how it can be monitored for better planning. The objective of this study will be: To study spatial and temporal patterns of agricultural drought over Lesotho using SPEI (derived from rainfall and temperatures) and NDVI/VCI from satellite data. […]

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Language(s): English

Tags: Drought ; Lesotho ; Thesis - WMO Fellowship Division Add tag