Drought Characteristics and Management in North Africa and the Near East
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45 45 45 Drought characteristics and management in North Africa and the Near East Drought characteristics The report assesses the occurrence and impacts of drought, the current policies underlying drought management as well and management in as the mitigation measures and responses adopted in the Near East and North Africa region, with a focus on the Agriculture Sector. It is the third of a series of similar studies carried out in North Africa and the Near East different regions and countries of the world, with the Drought characteristics and management in North Africa the Near East Drought objective of shedding light on drought effects, sensitizing policy-makers for the much needed paradigm shift to pro-active drought management planning and providing guidance for the development of such policies. The studies are carried out by FAO, in collaboration with the Water for Food Institute, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA, as a direct contribution to FAO's Strategic Objective "increasing the resilience of livelihoods to disasters" and Strategic Objective "make agriculture, forestry and fisheries more productive and sustainable". 43 Water accounting and auditing: A sourcebook (E) 44 Drought characteristics and management in Central Asia and Turkey (E) 45 Drought characteristics and management Cover photograph: ©FAO/Giulio Napolitano in North Africa and the Near East (E) FAO WATER Drought characteristics REPORTS and management 45 in North Africa and the Near East Mohamed Bazza Land and Water Division, FAO, Rome Melvyn Kay Consultant Cody Knutson National Drought Mitigation Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 2018 The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The designations employed and the presentation of material in the map(s) do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal or constitutional status of any country, territory or sea area, or concerning the delimitation of frontiers. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of FAO. ISBN 978-92-5-130683-3 © FAO, 2018 FAO encourages the use, reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product. Except where otherwise indicated, material may be copied, downloaded and printed for private study, research and teaching purposes, or for use in non-commercial products or services, provided that appropriate acknowledgement of FAO as the source and copyright holder is given and that FAO’s endorsement of users’ views, products or services is not implied in any way. All requests for translation and adaptation rights, and for resale and other commercial use rights should be made via www.fao.org/contact-us/licence-request or addressed to [email protected]. FAO information products are available on the FAO website (www.fao.org/ publications) and can be purchased through [email protected]. iii Contents Foreword v Acknowledgements vii Executive summary ix 1 Background 1 2 North Africa 3 2.1 Mauritania 3 2.2 Morocco 10 2.3 Algeria 23 2.4 Tunisia 32 2.5 Libya 35 3 Egypt and Sudan 42 3.1 Egypt 42 3.2 Sudan 58 4 Iraq and Syria 69 4.1 Iraq 69 4.2 Syria 76 5 Iran 85 6 Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine 95 6.1 Lebanon 95 6.2 Jordan 101 6.3 Palestine 111 7 The Arabian Peninsula 119 7.1 Saudi Arabia 119 7.2 Kuwait 128 7.3 Bahrain 133 iv 7.4 Qatar 138 7.5 United Arab Emirates (UAE) 143 7.6 Oman 150 7.7 Yemen 156 Annex: Country References and Appendices 165 v Foreword The Near East and North Africa (NENA) region is mostly dry by nature because of its geographic location and climatic conditions. Around three quarters of the region consist of desert that is unwelcoming to life and normal human activities, with average annual precipitation less than 50 mm, and arid climate where average precipitation is less than 150 mm per annum. The rest is of either semi-arid or Mediterranean climates. Sub-humid and humid climatic conditions exist only in patches of specific coastal areas and relatively high mountains on the sides exposed to prevailing winds. Country parts that are under desert or arid climates are permanently dry; they should be managed as such, under ‘’dryland management plans’ which would be part of national drought management plans. Drought materializes in a reduction of precipitation from the long-term average that extends over a given space scale for a specific period of time and results in impacts on human activities. Drought is a normal phenomenon in NENA region where it is known to have caused the decline of civilizations and ruling dynasties, mass migrations and famines. However, over the past four decades drought episodes in the region have gradually become more widespread and prolonged and more frequent, often with devastating socio-economic and environmental impacts. This gradual shift is likely the consequence of climate change. Agriculture, including livestock, forestry and fisheries, is particularly vulnerable to drought with severe consequences on food supplies and livelihoods, especially for smallholders and the poor layers of rural societies. It is the first sector to be impacted when drought occurs and also the most impacted of all economic sectors. The provision of emergency response to the affected population, in the form of food, feed and creation of jobs, is the most common approach adopted by governments of the region to deal with drought. While important for alleviating starvation and saving lives, this approach is currently known to have several limitations. A paradigm shift to a more pro-active approach, based on the principles of risk reduction, to build greater societal resilience to drought impacts, is highly needed. With this concern in mind, the High-level Meeting on National Drought Management Policy (HMNDP), convened by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), took place in Geneva, in March 2013, gathering over 430 participants from more than 90 countries, including ministers and senior officials, dignitaries, heads of a number of organizations and agencies, scientists and country delegates. The purpose of the meeting was to initiate a dialogue on the need for such a fundamental shift in the way droughts are perceived and managed and to encourage governments to develop and implement national drought management policies consistent with their development objectives. The Meeting issued a declaration that, among other provisions, urged WMO, FAO and UNCCD Secretariat as well as other concerned parties, to assist governments, especially the developing countries, in the development of National Drought Management Policies and their implementation. vi The concern about drought impacts is fully embedded into FAO’s Strategic Framework which drives the organization’s activities. Increasing societal resilience to disasters, especially drought which drastically affects rural livelihoods, is one of the five Strategic Objectives constituting FAO priorities. Within the framework of this Strategic Objective, FAO joined hands with the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute of the University of Lincoln-Nebraska, for launching a study on drought characterization and management in drought prone regions of the world. Getting a close picture of both drought characteristics and the way it is managed in different regions is essential not only for steering the shift from emergency response to more pro-active policy and long-term planning but also for assessing gaps and vulnerabilities and providing the right support to countries to achieve this shift. The other goal of the studies is to provide background information, first for designing drought risk management planning guidelines that are tailored for the specific characteristic and needs for each region, and second for the preparation of national and regional projects aimed at implementing pro-active drought management plans. This reports reviews drought and the way it is managed in the NENA region which is highly prone to the phenomenon, on one hand, and is highly vulnerable to it because of weak institutional and policy frameworks, on the other. The report constitutes a good basis to rethink policies and reformulate preparedness and response plans which can strengthen resilience to droughts in the region, taking into account the social, economic and environmental contexts specific to each country. We hope that it will help foster a fundamental shift in the way drought is perceived and managed in the region and we reiterate FAO’s continued support to the countries of the region in the development and implementation of drought management policies consistent with their development objectives. Eduardo Mansur Dominique Burgeon Director Director Land and Water Division Emergency and Rehabilitation Division FAO, Rome Strategic Programme Leader - Resilience FAO, Rome vii Acknowledgements This publication would not have been possible without the contribution and valuable support of several persons. The study of drought characteristics and management in the NENA region was conceptualized and commissioned by Mohamed Bazza, Senior Water Resources Officer, Land and Water Division, FAO, Rome, up to late last year. National reports for member countries of the region were first drafted by Abdellah Ouassou, FAO Consultant, based on data and information available at FAO and other existing literature.