Vulnerability of Agricultural Drought and Agricultural Losses Reduction During Drought Through Implementation of Ecological Measures——A Case Study of Hengyang, Hu'nan Province

Drought can severely reduce agricultural productivity. Since the risk of drought is likely to intensify with projected global warming and increases in evaporation potential, it is critical to identify methods for minimizing the manifestation of drought conditions and reducing agriculture's vulnerability to drought. The vulnerability of land-based production systems to natural disasters is a function of the systems' underlying ecological integrity. Therefore, ecological improvement and reconstruction may reduce agriculture's vulnerability to drought. Hengyang, an important agricultural area in China, experiences severe drought from time to time. This study demonstrates the close correlation between agricultural losses in the area during drought and certain environmental and social factors, under particular space-time considerations. Factors contributing to agricultural vulnerability, such as local weather conditions, vegetation and soil conditions, irrigation works and the level of economic development were analyzed in detail. The vulnerability of agriculture to drought in the area is assessed based on a long time series of meteorological data and economic statistical data, and by the use of a mathematical model and a correlation optimization method. The results of this assessment are used to determine optimal methods for ecological improvement and reconstruction to reduce agriculture's vulnerability to drought.