Perceptions of the risk of severe drought by residents in risk areas in the province of Holguín (Republic of Cuba)

Abstract

Drought, as an extreme climate event that occurs naturally and has a lack of precipitation as its source, is one of the main dangers affecting the province of Holguin.The behavior of the population and decision-makers in the face of this phenomenon may contribute to increasing or decreasing the effectiveness of actions to reduce the risk of drought. To identify ways of action, a study was conducted on the perception of the danger of drought by residents living in risk areas of the province of Holguin.The study was to establish the most objective perception of the phenomenon as a source of damage from a quantitative point of view, by levels (high, medium and low) through the use of conjugacy tables of simple and multiple correspondence analysis.It has been noted that there is a difference in perceptions of drought hazards and factors affecting the behaviour and viability of the population and public institutions before, during and after the event.The impact of drought risk perception on agricultural efficiency is shown.