Defining Drought in Marginal Areas: The Role of Perception

Author: Dagel, Kenneth C.

Source: The Professional Geographer, Volume 49, Number 2, May 1997 , pp. 192-202(11)

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Abstract:

Drought exacts a heavy toll of agricultural productivity, yet it has been largely defined as a one-dimensional natural hazard. This paper explores an understanding and defining of drought based on the perception of ranchers in the marginal physical enviornment of western South Dakota. Analysis of interview data reveals at least four separate dimensions of drought: (1) when a percentage of normal rainfall is recieved, (2) when ranch operation is affected, (3) when a definite amount of rainfall is recieved, and (4) the timeliness of rainfall. The incorporation of perception-based data with site-specific drought severity indices, such as the Palmer Index, can provide a more complete characterization of a hazard affecting the productivity and sustainability of semiarid enviornments worldwide.

Keywords: Drought; perception; marginal enviornments; content analysis; ranching

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/0033-0124.00069

Affiliations: 1: Missouri Western State College

Publication date: 1997-05-01