Regional differences in the performance of drought mitigation measures in 12 major wheat-growing regions of the world

Abstract

Drought is considered one of the key barriers influencing wheat production, and various adaptation schemes are practiced globally to mitigate drought impacts. However, it is difficult to precisely assess the performances of drought mitigation measures, especially when multiple measures are implemented simultaneously. Here, a remote sensing-based agricultural drought-affected area change index (ADAC) was applied to assess the performance of drought mitigation schemes, which separates and avoids confusion between performances of drought mitigation and wheat yield improvement. The results revealed the historical performance changes and regional differences under drought mitigation measures in 12 major wheat-growing regions (WGRs) of the world. The drought mitigation efforts have steadily succeeded, with a reduction in the drought-affected area of approximately 14.5 % in the 1980s and 28.5 % in the last decade, relatively 55 % of drought-affected areas are alleviated in the 12 WGRs. However, there are significant regional differences ranging from 28 % to 79 % in the 12 WGRs. The drought mitigation measures implemented in the WGRs of China and India, followed by France and Ukraine, are more effective than other regions, while a few are still declining. By further evaluating the effects of short-term and long-term drought mitigation strategies taken in the WGRs, we found that irrigation is the main drought mitigation measure in dryland, while measures such as conservation tillage are of great value for yield stability for both dry and wet areas. The results of this study improve the understanding of the regional performance of drought mitigation schemes and will help stakeholders to select appropriate measures.