September 19 (www.mongabay.com) – Converting West African rainforests into cropland reduces rainforest in adjacent forest areas, reports research published in Geophysical Research Letters. The study, based on a computer model used to simulate rainfall under different land-use conditions, found that cutting down tropical forests in West Africa reduces precipitation over neighboring forest areas by about […]
By Randy McIlwain, NBCDFW.com 22 September 2011 More than 1 million North Texas water customers will be under Stage 3 water restrictions beginning Nov. 1. The North Texas Municipal Water District’s board of trustees unanimously voted to implement a Stage 3 drought plan for its 1.6 million customers. “This is an ongoing drought, and it […]
KABUL, 21 September 2011 (IRIN) – The current dry spell sweeping across Afghanistan’s northern, northeastern and western provinces could lead to a large-scale food crisis and the humanitarian community should act quickly to ensure this does not degenerate into a disaster, government and aid officials warn. “The issue is very serious. Every other year drought […]
PAOLA, Kansas (Reuters) – Farmer Mark Nelson bends down and yanks a four-foot-tall weed from his northeast Kansas soybean field. The “waterhemp” towers above his beans, sucking up the soil moisture and nutrients his beans need to grow well and reducing the ultimate yield. As he crumples the flowering end of the weed in his […]
Islamabad, Sept 18 (ANI) — Around 300 people have lost their lives and another six million affected by devastating rains and floods in Pakistan’s Sindh province, a new report has said. According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), all 23 districts of Sindh have been affected by this year’s floods, the Dawn reports. The […]
By Suzi Parker; Edited by Colleen Jenkins and Ellen Wulfhorst18 September 2011 LITTLE ROCK, Ark (Reuters) – Cooler weather has arrived in Arkansas but a severe drought lingers, bringing bad news for the state’s hay and cattle producers. The Climate Prediction Center recently issued a three-month outlook that showed drought persisting or worsening into eastern […]
15 September 2011 (MSNBC) – The drought in Texas that has fueled wildfires, devastated agriculture and caused water shortages actually worsened in the past week while several other states also saw spreading drought, according to a weekly report issued Thursday. The forecast for three months out isn’t any better: Texas was told to expect abnormally […]
By Sally Williams17 September 2011 It was the death of their last cow that did it for Abdi. He told his wife, Sarura, and their four children that they had to leave. In Bakool, Somalia, they packed some clothes and cooking pots and set out for Dadaab, the world’s largest refugee camp, on the edge […]
ISIOLO/MARSABIT, 13 September 2011 (IRIN) – Pastoralists in the drought-hit northern and eastern part of Kenya are often caught up in conflict over resources as well as movements of livestock in search of water and pasture. Here IRIN offers the latest information from the region and testimony from pastoralists to illustrate the challenges they cope […]
September 8 (FAO) – The FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) averaged 231 points in August 2011, nearly unchanged from July and 26 percent higher than in August 2010. The FFPI hit its all time high of 238 points in February. Firmer cereal prices in August were largely offset by declines in international prices of most […]
