Food & Climate 

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Unit 3:
Drought in the Mediterranean 

The social and economic impacts of drought in the Mediterranean are increasing.  The impact of drought is likely to get worse with time.  The population is growing and cities are getting larger.  More food is needed and, as a result, more land needs irrigating for agriculture.  There are inadequate controls on water use and a lack of political will to change how people use the water resources they already have.

This satellite picture shows the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index for the Mediterranean region. This index is used to distinguish areas with different densities of vegetation.  The image shows that areas in Northern Europe have more dense vegetation than those close to the Mediterranean Sea.  The difference is caused simply by climate and water availability.

Successful water management aims to prevent water shortages in times of drought so that agricultural production does not suffer.  Many of the risks involved with water management are caused by the unpredictability of our future weather.  The greatest risk is that of drought.

About this page:

Author:  Marta Moneo and Dr. Ana Iglesias - Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, España
1. scientific reviewer: Alex de Sherbinin - CIESIN, Columbia University, USA
2. scientific reviewer: Lily Parshall - Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Columbia University, USA
educational reviewer: Emilio Sternfeld - Colegio Virgen de Mirasierra - España
last published: 2004-05-12