Drought and Sub-Saharan African Economies
Droughts are frequent and severe in many countries of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and have a devastating impact on their peoples and economies. The extreme vulnerability to rainfall in the arid and semiarid areas of the continent and the poor capacity...
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| Language: | English |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2012
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/1998/09/12892952/drought-sub-saharan-african-economies http://hdl.handle.net/10986/9884 |
| Summary: | Droughts are frequent and severe in many
countries of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and have a devastating
impact on their peoples and economies. The extreme
vulnerability to rainfall in the arid and semiarid areas of
the continent and the poor capacity of most African soils to
retain moisture result in almost 60 percent of SSA being
vulnerable to drought and 30 percent being extremely
vulnerable. Since the 1960s, rainfall in parts of the Sahel
and Southern Africa has also been significantly below the
norms of the previous 30 years. Moreover, the prospects of
an El Nino effect has led to more focus on the impact of
drought in SSA. Against the background of a dearth of
investigative studies on drought's economic impact, a
recent report, the impact of drought on Sub-Saharan African
economies: a preliminary examination examines this
phenomenon more closely. Drought has typically been
perceived as a problem principally of agriculture and, in
particular, food supply. As such, it is seen as posing
problems for effective relief but there is less evidence on
whether or not it justifies economic responses or
modifications in policy. This report presents the findings
of an exploratory study which was intended as a contribution
to filling that gap. Analysis of a number of issues pulls
together lessons learned from six country cases (Burkina
Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) to
develop strategies to reduce the economy-wide impacts of drought. |
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