Program Information

When we hear the word drought, we think of many images: a farmer kneeling in a hot, dusty field with stunted crops; dried-up streams and ponds; many bright, sunny days with no rain; water rationing; brown lawns.

ABCs of Agriculture informs about Virginia's farming community and how it affects you. ABCs of Agriculture are produced by the Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) - an educational program which encourages and enhances agricultural literacy in Grades K-5 and 6-8.

Transcript

Hello, and welcome to the ABC’s of Agriculture! We’re here today outside to talk about the letter D, for Drought.

When we hear the word drought, we think of many images: a farmer kneeling in a hot, dusty field with stunted crops; dried-up streams and ponds; many bright, sunny days with no rain; water rationing; brown lawns.

But, what is a drought really? According to Webster’s dictionary, it is A prolonged period of dryness.” And… the definition of “dryness” is “lacking or deficient in moisture.” By that definition, most deserts are in a state of semi-permanent drought, and most forests are not. And that’s probably true.

But that’s not the way climatologists measure drought. They measure drought primarily by the departure from average moisture at any spot.

In other words, if a place like Washington DC receives 60% of its average rainfall, it’s likely to be in a big time drought, even though that means that it still gets 13 times the average rainfall of a desert area like Death Valley, which averages 1.78 inches per year.

In fact, some of the rainiest places in the country, such as Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, can receive scores of inches of rain per year, but, because this is substantially below normal, still be in a “severe drought.”

Drought is a normal part of climate, and it can occur almost anywhere on earth.

If you are a farmer, drought means that you do not have enough water in the soil for crops to grow normally or for pastures to produce enough grass for livestock. For farmers who rely on irrigation to produce their crops, drought may be a shortage of water in reservoirs, streams, or groundwater, and irrigation may be restricted.

If you live in an urban area, drought may result in a shortage of water for watering grass, trees, and other plants. Often during drought, people in cities are asked to conserve water used inside the home and outside. This in the end helps everyone cope during the drought.

For the ABC’s of Agriculture … I’m Professor Brad… see you next month.

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