Drought in Mali - Case Study

not marley thats a dog name

type of drought

Meteorological, hydrological, agricultural, famine drought

Annual mean temperature

28-30 degrees C; high rates of evaporation

rain in Mali

• short rainy season from July to September

• annual precipitation averages 250-500mm

• Seasonal drought occurring from october to June

contingent drought

when rainy season is delayed or absent

impacts of drought in the Sahel region

• 100,000 people were killed by drought in the Sahel in 1973

• 25% all cattle died or were slaughtered; herds in Mauritania were reduced by 80%

• entirely dependent on food aid

• 200,000 people in Niger were entirely dependent on food aid in 1974

• 250,000 people were destitute in Mauritania in 1974

• around 200,000 refugees arrived in Mali from Niger;

•  in1991,4.28 million people in the Sahel were facing starvation after the rains failed

Famine droughts

often include a cause related to civil unrest or war

80% of drylands in the sahel have faced desertification due to:

• lack of rain 

• pressure on land

Environmental degradation due to:

• over-cultivation of crops 

• overgrazing of range lands,

• mismanagement of irrigated croplands

• deforestation

climate change and desertification

Sahara desert is advancing south and east

Deforestation is a catalyst of soil erosion and albedo changes in the Sahel

• forests, grasslands and savannahs play a large role in maintenance of soil

• mono-crop agriculture has a far lower albedo than natural ecosystems due to gaps in land between crops

water use in agriculture

95% of cultivated land in the Sahel is rain-fed

Increased demand for crops has had negative effects on farming practice

• land is not allowed to rest; becomes depleted and nutrient-scarce

• there used to be nomadic pastoralists that would trade with sedentary farmers for drought resistant crops in return for meat

shift away from nomadic herdsmen

Nomadic herdsmen have been marginalised by various laws and taxes that prevent them from moving their herds

• one area is over-grazed instead

• food availability for animals is more sure because herdsmen can move with food and the rains

• small carrying capacity of many areas in Mali is worked around

international impacts on Mali’s agricultural industry

• Foreign cash crops have been prioritised in some areas despite not enough water

• rural areas continue to rely on neglected traditional systems or 'modernised' systems which are not adapted to local condition

limitations of western farming in Mali

• very difficult to increase carrying capacity of the land

• irrigation is difficult due to water scarcity

resilience to drought in comparison to aus

less resilient to drought than aus because of smaller social safety net, lack of economic resources and governmental support

increasing demands for food

• Sahel countries have young population and wide-based population pyramids

• population growth is occurring

• children feel the affects of hunger more acutely than adults because they are still developing

Biome distribution

more desertification as climate change progresses