World population is expected to reach 9.2 × 10(9) people by 2050. Feeding them will require a boost in crop productivity using innovative approaches. Current agricultural production is very dependent on large amounts of inputs and water availability is a major limiting factor. In addition, the loss of genetic diversity and the threat of climate change make a change of paradigm in plant breeding...

Groundwater-fed irrigation has supported growth in agricultural production around the world by allowing farmers to buffer production against the risks associated with variable and uncertain climatic conditions. However, uncontrolled exploitation has also led to rapid rates of groundwater depletion in many semi-arid and arid regions that threaten farmers' long-term capacity to adapt to future cl...

Climate change projections show that periods of droughts are likely to increase, causing decreasing water availability, salinization, and consequently farm income loss in the south-west Netherlands. Adaptation is the key to decrease a farmer’s drought vulnerability and to secure the agricultural sector’s performance at the aggregate level. Possible adaptation strategies include responses at the...

Examining relationships in spatio-temporal data has lead to the construction of a decision support system specializing in data-mining. Several steps are taken with the system architecture to ensure a robust, easy to use online interface in a distributed environment, including the implementation of developing technologies and effective knowledge discovery algorithms. Drought risk management is t...

Although deemed a "non-essential" mineral nutrient, silicon (Si) is clearly beneficial to plant growth and development, particularly under stress conditions, including salinity and drought. Here, we review recent research on the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms underlying Si-induced alleviation of osmotic and ionic stresses associated with salinity and drought. We distinguis...

During severe drought and low flows in the Otago Region of the South Island of New Zealand, increased bacterial contamination of rivers occurred in agricultural/ pastoral catchments due to greater stock use of waterways and the lack of dilution and flushing flows. Concentrations and loadings of nitrogen and phosphorus generally decreased due to the lack of rainfall, runoff and transport from di...

drought is a gradual phenomenon and cause important changes in water resources, agriculture and so on. due to the stochastic behavior of factors that influence the occurrence and intense of drought, one can consider this phenomenon as a stochastic process. with respect to the importance of predicted drought severity and its vital influence in designing and operating water resources systems, thi...

We examine the long-term impacts of drought on local labor markets in Brazil. Using rainfall data going back over a century, we build contemporaneous and historical drought indices for more than 3,000 local areas, and examine them in conjunction with five waves of population census data spanning 1970−2010. Results from a differencein-differences design reveal that increased drought frequency in...

It is increasingly apparent that the future of the Amazon rainforest is under threat from both climate change and agricultural practices. Here we use a 13-year time series of (A)ATSR derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements to examine the role of aerosols in the interaction between deforestation, biomass burning and drought over the Amazon. The seasonal cycle of AOD shows peaks in Septe...

The steady growth in extreme weather events around the world signals that human-induced climate change is happening right now. In 2010 and 2011 we have witnessed unparalleled devastation around the world from record floods, fires, droughts, more frequent and intense tornadoes and hurricanes. In some countries, millions of acres of agricultural land have been lost due to flooding, while other co...