April 18, 2023
In March, the Drought Center facilitated a workshop in New Mexico, hosted by the Santa Ana Pueblo. The workshop was the first of several outreach programs planned as part of the Climate Smart Indigenous Agriculture project through which the NDMC and its partners are working to enhance drought and climate resilience with Indigenous farmers in the Middle Rio Grande region.
April 5, 2023
In March, the Drought Center facilitated a workshop in Alabama, organized by ACF Stakeholders Inc., to examine the drought challenges facing the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin and potential strategies to prepare for, and respond to, drought. Participants came from across Alabama, Georgia and Florida, providing an important opportunity to enhance relationships and work together to increase the resilience of the watershed.
March 30, 2023
Two NDMC-affiliated researchers are part of a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional team selected as part of the NSF Convergence Accelerator program focused on applied research and technology development to advance food and nutrition security. The team is working on a proof of concept of how to predict the effects of climate extremes on the food system and will compete for a chance to secure $5 million in additional funding.
February 6, 2023
States opt to plan for drought to reduce vulnerability and increase the resilience of their communities, industries and ecosystems. To date, though, there’s been little research on the comprehensiveness and quality of state plans that address drought. A new study from NDMC researchers has helped fill this gap, finding that exposure to drought is in intrinsic driver of planning, regardless of a state’s financial resources.
February 1, 2023
The National Drought Mitigation Center has been working with the World Bank for over 10 years to develop new drought tools that can help countries increase their resilience to drought. Most recently, that work has entailed engaging with national agencies to develop a composite drought indicator for southern Africa.
January 26, 2023
On Jan. 26, 2023, the National Drought Mitigation Center launched a new collaboration with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. As drought resilience and preparedness are taking center stage in global efforts to bolster economies and communities against natural disasters, the formalized partnership is particularly timely. Together, the NDMC and UNCCD will work to improve drought risk management tools and utilize the latest science to help reduce the high human, social and economic costs of drought and water scarcity.
January 19, 2023
Missouri suffered from extreme drought conditions in 2022. The CMOR database of crowdsourced observations helped officials there monitor drought as it intensified last summer and then again in October. CMOR photos not only enable decision makers to track changing conditions and inform drought classification, they’re also essential for identifying, and responding to, drought impacts.
December 15, 2022
In November, NDMC staff and graduate students co-hosted a pair of workshops in Alaska with the USDA Northwest Climate Hub and University of Alaska-Fairbanks Cooperative Extension. The two events were designed to start a conversation about the unique challenges and needs of agriculture in Alaska and coping strategies for drought.
October 24, 2022
The U.S. Drought Monitor is a weekly assessment of the extent and severity of drought in the U.S. A new interface allows users to view Drought Monitor classifications at various spatial scales, overlaid by other relevant information. A related export tool increases the ease with which people can download customized Drought Monitor maps.
October 12, 2022
Several members of the National Drought Mitigation Center also serve as faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and regularly publish peer-reviewed drought research in academic journals. In recent months, NDMC scientists have published work geared toward both specialty crop producers in the Midwest and local planners.