Issue |
La Houille Blanche
Number 7-8, Décembre 1989
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Page(s) | 527 - 529 | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/lhb/1989051 | |
Published online | 01 October 2009 |
Conséquences des sécheresses sur l'agriculture et moyens de lutte
Consequences of droughts on agriculture and resources to combat them
Ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Forêt, Paris
Abstract
When account is taken of the extreme interannual variability of droughts, their appearance dates, duration and geographic extension, the agricultural productions affected vary and are affected differently by droughts.
Detailed tables are shown for 1985 when the drought only appeared in the Autumn and 1986 when it appeared at the beginning of the Summer.
The real amount of total losses caused to corn, sorgo, sunflower, soya and tobacco crops, can be estimated at 600 million francs in 1985 and 1800 million francs in 1986.
It is to be noted that for these two years, production, from irrigated crops was higher than the norm whereas production from dry crops was very much lower than the norm and that global harvest volume was not, therefore, that much lower, which enabled farmers who had suffered from the drought to be partially compensated by an increase in prices.
This clearly shows up the essential economic role played by irrigation.
© Société Hydrotechnique de France, 1989