Read at : Google Alert – desertification
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/argentina-tries-to-combat-a-drier-future
Source: alertnet // Ana Belluscio
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AlertNet) – For almost two months, an intense drought has been damaging crops in Argentina, especially corn and soy, threatening the economic and food security of a country where agriculture and livestock account for approximately 10 percent of GDP.
German Cuadrada rents 220 hectares (540 acres) of land in Pozo del Molle, Cordoba province, where he grows maize and soybeans. Since December he has lost his entire maize crop and part of his soybeans.
“If we don’t receive a 100-150 mm (4-6 inches) rainfall within the next days we are not going to make it,” he said.
According to specialists, the drought is the consequence of a recent La Nina episode – the cooling of the surface temperature of the equatorial Pacific Ocean that influences wind and rainfall.
In Argentina, La Nina causes rainfall below normal levels, coupled with higher than average temperatures, especially during December and January, said Pablo Mercuri, director of the Institute of Weather and Water of the National Agricultural Technology Institute (INTA).
Scientists are working to determine whether there is a correlation between the higher incidence of La Nina events in recent decades and climate change.
WORSENING DROUGHT
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