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Development in an African Context

Climate variability, drought and flood

  • 3 things to know
  • Component 3 Section B

Overview

Climate variability, meteorological drought and sahel droughts of the late twentieth century.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

Define climate variability.

Key term

What is meteorological drought?

Numbers

Describe the Sahel droughts of the late twentieth century.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Define climate variability.

    Model answer

    Climate variability is the swing of rainfall and temperature around their long-term average. Variability matters more to a farmer than the average itself.

  2. 2

    What is meteorological drought?

    Model answer

    Meteorological drought is a prolonged period of rainfall well below the long-term average. The shortfall becomes agricultural drought once soil moisture falls below crop needs.

  3. 3

    Describe the Sahel droughts of the late twentieth century.

    Model answer

    The Sahel suffered severe drought from 1968 to 1973 and again from 1983 to 1985. Rainfall across the belt fell roughly 20 to 30% below the earlier mean.

  4. 4

    What were the human consequences of the 1983 to 1985 Sahel drought?

    Model answer

    Crop failure and cattle deaths brought famine to Niger, Mali, Chad and Ethiopia. Hundreds of thousands died and millions moved south in search of food.

  5. 5

    Explain why drought hits African farmers harder than farmers in richer countries.

    Model answer

    Most African cropland is rain-fed, and irrigation covers only a small share of it. Few households hold insurance or savings, so one failed season forces the sale of assets.

  6. 6

    Describe the Horn of Africa drought of 2020 to 2023.

    Model answer

    Five consecutive rainy seasons failed across Somalia, Ethiopia and northern Kenya. Millions of livestock died and over 20 million people needed food assistance.

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