Abstract
The variability of rainfall in space and time is such that, even in climates that are classified as humid, crop yield losses due to limited water availability can occur. In these circumstances the effect of a dry spell can often be minimized through the use of supplemental irrigation. However, in semi-arid regions not only is rainfall limited, but supplementary water resources are often absent, too, and irrigation of agricultural crops is possible only in restricted areas. Thus, agricultural production in these areas is based mainly on rainfed agriculture.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bergthórsson, P., Björnsson, H., Dýrmundsson, O., Gudmundsson, B., Helgadóttir, A. and Jónmundsson, J.V. (1988). The effect of climatic variations on agriculture in Iceland. In M.L. Parry, T.R. Carter and N.T. Konijn (Eds.), The Impact of Climatic Variations on Agriculture. Volume 1, Assessments in Cool Temperate and Cold Regions ,Reidel, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
Breman, H. and de Wit, C.T. (1983). Rangeland productivity and exploitation in the Sahel. Science ,221, 1341–1347.
Carter, T.R., Konijn, N.T. and Watts, R.G. (1988). The choice of first-order impact models. In M.L. Parry, T.R. Carter and N.T. Konijn (Eds.), The Impact of Climatic Variations on Agriculture. Volume 1, Assessments in Cool Temperate and Cold Regions ,Reidel, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
Dregne, H.E. (1976). Soils of arid regions. Developments in Soil Science ,6. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 237 pp.
FAO (1978). Report on the Agro-Ecological Zones Project. Volume 1, Methodology and Results for Africa. World Soil Resources Report ,48, Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy.
FAO/UNESCO (various dates). Soil Map of the World, 1:5000000. Volume IV. South America (1971); Volume V. Europe (1981); Volume VI. Africa (1977a); Volume VII. South Asia (1977b); Volume X. Australasia (1978). UNESCO, Paris.
Hurd, E.A. (1968). Growth of roots of seven varieties of spring wheat at high and low moisture levels. Agron. J. ,60, 201–205.
Meigs, P. (1953). World distribution of arid and semi-arid homoclimates. In UNESCO, Reviews of Research on Arid Zone Hydrology, Arid Zone Res. ,I, 203–210.
Penman, H.L. (1948). Natural evaporation from open water, bare soil and grass. Proc. Roy. Soc., Lond. Ser. A ,193, 120–145.
Soil Survey Staff (1960). Soil Classification -A Comprehensive System -7th Approximation. Soil Conservation Service, US Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., 265 pp.
Soil Survey Staff (1976). Soil Taxonomy. Soil Conservation Service, US Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
Sullivan, G.M. (1983). Modeling livestock management systems under variable climatic conditions in East Africa. In W.K. Lauenroth, G.V. Skogerboe and M. Flug (Eds.), Analysis of Ecological Systems: State-of-the-Art in Ecological Modelling, Developments in Ecological Modelling ,5, Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Thornthwaite, C.W. (1948). An approach toward a rational classification of climate. Geogr. Rev. ,38, 55–94.
Waggoner, P.E. and Bravdo, B.A. (1967). Stomata and the hydrologic cycle. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S. ,57, 1096–1102.
Went, F.W. (1948). Ecology of desert plants. I. Observations on germination in the Joshua Tree National Monument, California. Ecology ,29, 242–253.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1988 International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and United Nations Environment Programme
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Carter, T., Konijn, N. (1988). The Choice of First-Order Impact Models for Semi-Arid Regions. In: Parry, M.L., Carter, T.R., Konijn, N.T. (eds) The Impact of Climatic Variations on Agriculture. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2965-4_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2965-4_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-7832-0
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-2965-4
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive