Economic evaluation of measles catch-up and follow-up campaigns in Afghanistan in 2002 and 2003

This paper assesses the cost-effectiveness of, and the return on the investment in, the 2002 catch-up and the 2003 follow-up measles campaigns in Afghanistan from the perspective of the donor. The catch-up campaign targeted nearly 12 million children aged between six months and 12 years, while the follow-up campaign targeted over five million children aged between 9 and 59 months. Both campaigns successfully vaccinated approximately 96 per cent of the respective target populations, and are expected to avert an estimated 301,000 measles deaths over the next 10 years. The average cost per dose of measles vaccine delivered was USD 0.40. The cost per death prevented is USD 23.6, assuming a case fatality rate of 10 per cent and a discount rate of three per cent. With more than 42,000 measles deaths avoided for every one million US dollars spent, the campaigns are an excellent public health investment for precluding childhood mortality in a country affected by a complex emergency.     

Impact of a commercial destocking relief intervention in Moyale district, southern Ethiopia

A commercial destocking intervention was piloted in southern Ethiopia during the drought of early 2006. The intervention led to the purchase of an estimated 20,000 cattle valued at USD 1.01 million. On average, destocked households received USD 186 from the sale of cattle--approximately 5,405 households were involved. In terms of aid investment, the approximate cost-benefit ratio was 41:1. During the drought, income from destocking accounted for 54.2 per cent of household income (n = 114 households), and was used to buy food, care for livestock, meet various domestic expenses, support relatives, and either pay off debts or augment savings. Seventy-nine per cent of the income derived from destocking was used to buy local goods or services. Expenditure on livestock care amounted to 36.5 per cent of local spending, and included the private transportation of livestock to better grazing areas. The buoyant livestock export trade was considered to be an important driver of commercial destocking, demonstrating a positive link between livestock and meat exports, and pastoral vulnerability during drought.     

1961-2000年干旱对我国冬小麦产量的影响

假定在目前条件下的冬小麦作物品种、耕种措施和土壤特性不变,利用WOFOST作物模型,模拟了1961-2000年干旱对我国冬小麦产量的影响。模拟结果显示:1961-1980年干旱对我国冬小麦产量影响较为严重,干旱使整个麦区冬小麦平均减产4．6%,使北方麦区冬小麦平均减产12%。1981 -2000年,干旱对冬小麦产量的影响明显减轻。总体上,1961-2000年虽然冬小麦生育期内降水量持续减少,但干旱对冬小麦产量的影响没有加重的趋势。通过分析发现,我国北方地区冬小麦生育期内的降水和干旱与产量并没有显著相关关系,但春季降水和干旱则与产量显著相关,揭示了我国北方春季降水量对冬小麦产量影响的重要性。     

Emergency and institutional crisis in Peru during El Nino 1982-1983

From December 1982 through July 1983, Peru was plagued by disastrous consequences of El Nino/Southern Oscillation phenomenon. While the northern part of the country was devastated by torrential rains and floods, central Andean Peru endured landslides and flash floods, the southern Altiplano suffered a severe drought. Hazard preparedness was nonexistent, and official disaster relief uncoordinated and slow in coming. Administrative inefficiency magnified the stress upon the populations under disaster conditions. Provisions of disaster training from specialized international organizations is recommended as a preventive measure and as a policy to improve catastrophe-coping abilities in developing nations.     

Biodiversity versus emergencies: the impact of restocking on Animal Genetic Resources after disaster

Restocking is a favoured option in supporting livelihoods after a disaster. With the depletion of local livestock populations, the introduction of new species and breeds will clearly affect biodiversity. Nevertheless, the impact of restocking on Animal Genetic Resources has been largely ignored. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to examine the consequences of restocking on biodiversity via a simple model. Utilising a hypothetical project based on cattle, the model demonstrates that more than one-third of the population was related to the original restocked animals after three generations. Under conditions of random breed selection, the figure declined to 20 per cent. The tool was then applied to a donor-led restocking project implemented in Bosnia-Herzegovina. By restocking primarily with Simmental cattle, the model demonstrated that the implementation of a single restocking project is likely to have accelerated the decline of the indigenous Buşa breed by a further nine per cent. Thus, greater awareness of the long-term implications of restocking on biodiversity is required.     

Gender and drought: experiences of Australian women in the drought of the 1990s

A unique collaborative, sociological study undertaken during 1995-7, explored the social construction of drought as a disaster, looking at farm families in two Australian states: Queensland (beef producers) and New South Wales (sheep/wheat producers). A decision was made to interview the women and men separately to test our hypothesis that there would be gender issues in any analysis of a disaster, but particularly one which has had so much long-term impact on individuals, families and communities, such as drought. Interviews were conducted with over 100 individuals male and female. We conclude that drought as a disaster is a gendered experience. The paper draws on the narratives of some women involved in the study to identify 'themes of difference' which confirm the necessity to maintain gender as a variable in all studies of the social impacts of disaster.     

Severe drought and the vitamin A status of rural pre-school children in India

A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out in six drought-affected areas of India in 2003 to assess the impact of drought on the vitamin A status of 3,657 rural pre-school children. The prevalence of Bitot's spots was found to be significantly (p < 0.01) higher (1.8 per cent) during drought (odds ratio (OR) = 2.0; 95 per cent confidence interval: 1.6 -2.7). The dietary intake of vitamin A was lower during drought and in 81 per cent of households it was less than 50 per cent of the recommended rate. Severe drought has an adverse impact on the vitamin A status of rural pre-school children, particularly those with illiterate mothers and belonging to an older age group (p < 0.01). Communities need to be sensitised, therefore, to vitamin A deficiency through health and nutrition education, and there needs to be wider coverage of vitamin A supplementation, particularly among children in drought-affected and drought-prone areas.     

The 2006 war and its inter-temporal economic impact on agriculture in Lebanon

The July 2006 war waged by Israel on Lebanon caused an estimated USD 1 billion of direct (financial) damage to infrastructure. However, it generated also significant indirect (economic/inter-temporal) costs. One sector that suffered considerably in this respect was agriculture, the main source of income for 30–40 per cent of Lebanese. This paper's main objective is to develop a methodology to estimate the total—direct and indirect—cost of the war to agricultural crop production, using an area of south Lebanon as a focal point. The indirect loss assessment viewed inter-temporal reductions in crop production values as the opportunity cost of not working fields due to the presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO). Various crops were evaluated for two scenarios (50 and 100 per cent damage due to UXO) over UXO-clearance periods of five and 10 years. The results indicate that any damage estimates that include only direct losses will under-estimate total losses by 80 and 87 per cent for the five- and 10-year periods, respectively.     

论科学抗旱——以2009年的抗旱保麦为例

干旱是影响我国农业生产最严重的灾害之一。2009年初北方冬麦区出现了严重的气象干旱,但由于苗情基础好和底墒充足,以作物长势为标准的农业干旱大部地区较轻、仅局部较重。虽然河南、安徽两省抗旱保麦取得一定成效,但从整个北方冬麦区看,仍有不少经验教训值得总结和吸取。对干旱的认识与对策存在一系列误区,特别是混淆了气象干旱与农业干旱、冻害与干旱、突发型灾害与累积型灾害的区别,把抗旱简单等同于浇水,轻视农艺抗旱,一些媒体的过分炒作违背科学且不符实际。分析2009年北方小麦仍然获得丰收的原因时,指出少数麦田受旱受冻较重的根源在于播种质量差,并对今后如何提高科学抗旱水平提出了若干基本原则和具体建议。     

Livestock mortality in pastoralist herds in Ethiopia and implications for drought response

Participatory epidemiology methods were employed retrospectively in three pastoralist regions of Ethiopia to estimate the specific causes of excess livestock mortality during drought. The results showed that starvation/dehydration accounted for between 61.5 and 100 per cent of excess livestock mortality during drought, whereas disease‐related mortality accounted for between 0 and 28.1 per cent of excess mortality. Field observations indicate that, in livestock, disease risks and mortality increase in the immediate post‐drought period, during rain. The design of livelihoods‐based drought response programmes should include protection of core livestock assets, and it should take account of the specific causes of excess livestock mortality during drought and immediately afterwards. This study shows that, when comparing livestock feed supplementation and veterinary support, relatively more aid should be directed at the former if the objective is to protect core livestock during drought. Veterinary support should consider disease‐related mortality in the immediate post‐drought period, and tailor inputs accordingly.     

Indigenous responses to drought in sub-Saharan Africa*

Drought is a frequent occurrence in contemporary sub-Saharan Africa, and the existence of periodic drought can be documented over hundreds of years. As a consequence of the routine rainfall shortages that affect them, agricultural and pastoral societies have developed a number of social institutions and mechanisms for bridging temporary food production shortfalls caused by drought. Drawing on the literature and field data from southeastern Kenya, this paper discusses a number of regular indigenous responses to short-term drought in sub-Saharan Africa. Changes in these patterns in the present day are also discussed. It is concluded that market-based responses are now the most important strategies, but that traditional institutions remain significant and contribute to the viability of drought-affected societies.     

Damage to Urban Infrastructure and Other Public Property from the 1989 Loma Prieta (California) Earthquake

This research project investigated the damage to public property caused by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The claims filed by state and local governments, special districts and non-profit organizations under the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) disaster assistance program were analyzed to understand better the pattern of damage caused by the earthquake. These claims accounted for nearly $600 million. The damage distribution was very skewed with eleven agencies claiming more than 70 per cent of this total. Non-profit agencies accounted for a surprisingly large portion of overall damage. Heavy damage was concentrated in relatively few areas. The extent of damage in an area was a function of concentration of property, site conditions, characteristics of building stock, and distance from the epicenter.     

The economics of landmine clearance in Afghanistan

This paper presents an economic evaluation of landmine clearance in Afghanistan. The main benefits comprise increased agricultural output, saved transport time and running costs, saved human casualties and the saved costs of supporting refugees and displaced persons. An investment of US$100 million between 1988 and 1998 is estimated to provide annual benefits of $50.3 million per annum between 1999 and 2008. This translates into net present values of between $935 and $1,744 million, depending on the rate of discount used. This contrasts with the negative NPVs estimated for several other countries.     

中国农业气象灾害对作物产量的影响

根据中国主要作物产量、受灾面积和气象条件等相关资料，详细分析了全国主要农业气象灾害的分布地区、季节特点及变化特征。结果表明：干旱、洪涝和冷冻害是影响作物产量的主要气象灾害，而各种灾害均有明显增加的趋势。旱灾是最严重的灾害，受灾面积是洪涝面积的2．3倍。分析了全国主要农业气象灾害对作物产量的严重影响，玉米和大豆产区主要是旱灾，早稻和晚稻产区主要是冷害和洪灾，一季稻和棉花产区主要是洪涝和旱灾，冬小麦和油菜产区的严重减产主要受冻害影响。     

河南省春季降水与温度变化的时空分布——基于地理信息系统的分析

春季的气候条件异常一直是制约河南省小麦生产的瓶颈之一,春旱作为河南省主要的气象灾害,严重影响了小麦的生长。近几十年来,极端天气事件随着全球气候变暖的加快而越发频繁。春季干旱发生的主要因子降水和温度的变异性显著变大。基于GIS及和河南省30年的气候整编资料,对河南省春季降水、温度及降水温度比的变化趋势及时空变化分布进行了研究。结果表明:豫南春季降水减少最为严重(南阳盆地除外),豫中次之,豫北春季降水稍有增加;从温度的变化分布来看,河南全省春季温度都呈上升趋势,其中,豫南的信阳、驻马店,豫西北的济源、焦作、洛阳、郑州及平顶山地区温度上升趋势较大,南阳盆地、豫东平原及豫北平原地带温度变化相对较小;反应春季气候异常的降水温度比豫南为负向变化最大,豫北为正向变化最大,空间分布与春季降水基本吻合。综合分析说明未来河南地区的气候变化将会更加不稳定。     

华北地区冬小麦干旱风险评估的初步研究

作者在本文中探讨了利用风险分析进行气象灾害影响评估的方法。根据华北地区冬小麦干旱的特点，确定了小麦各发育阶段在有限灌溉条件下的干旱指标及发生概率。利用ＦＡＯ产量与水分关系模型，计算出干旱引起的减产率，并综合考虑当地抗灾性能和承灾体密度，得到冬小麦各发育阶段及全生育期的干旱风险度，进行分级定量评估。为小麦持续高产稳产决策提供科学依据。     

Evaluation of Two Kurdish Refugee Camps in Iran, May 1991: The Value of Cluster Sampling in Producing Priorities and Policy

Following the end of the Gulf war in March 1991, Kurdish refugees from Iraq crossed the border into Western Iran. To plan public health interventions and to assist in priority setting for scarce resources, a rapid epidemiological assessment of two camps, Hafez and Kaliche, was conducted in May 1991. A 30 cluster sampling method was used to determine the demographics of the camp population, the morbidity and mortality from certain diseases, and the nutritional status of the children <5 years of age. The estimated population of the camps at the time of the survey was 28,500 and 22,500 for Hafez and Kaliche respectively; children < 5 years of age accounted for approximately 25 per cent of both camp populations. The mortality rate was highest in Hafez and estimated to be 2.5/10,000 per day (95%CI:0.3–5) for adults (> 14 years of age) and 4.9/10,000 per day (95%CI:2.4–7.4) for children. Diarrhoeal and respiratory diseases accounted for major morbidity in both camps with diarrhoea the commonest stated cause of death. Little malnutrition was found but it was greater in Hafez where 6 per cent (19/327) of the children between 1 and 5 years of age had a mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) <12 cm and eleven (5.2 per cent) of the 211 children measured for height and weight were below 80 per cent of the median (95%CI:2.6%;7.8%). The survey identified that morbidity and mortality were less severe than in the Kurdish camps on the Turkish border and provided information for camp authorities to plan appropriate relief interventions.     

20世纪90年代以来主要气象灾害对我国粮食生产的影响与减灾对策

干旱、洪涝、风雹和低温四大类主要气象灾害已经成为限制我国粮食增产的主要障碍。近5年的统计结果表明，我国平均每年粮食受灾面积达0．52亿hm^2，粮食损失超过500亿kg。干旱是危害最大的灾种，每年因旱灾损失粮食占气象灾害损失粮食的57％。20世纪90年代以来旱灾的发生较以往大幅度加重。我国农业应该采取的减灾对策为：改善生态环境；加强农业基础设施建设；推广节水灌溉与旱作农业技术；加强农业减灾科学技术研究；完善农业防灾减灾体系；建立农业灾害保险与补贴机制。     

Food acquisition during the African drought of 1983–1984: A study of Kenyan herders

In 1983 and 1984, drought spread across the northern rangelands of Kenya and herders in lowland Samburu lost substantial portions of their livestock. Food aid arrived when 50 to 75% of the cattle had already died, and after poorer pastoralists were hungry enough to sell their remaining productive animals. No pastoralists died of the immediate effects of the drought, but many were so impoverished that their longer-term prospects for remaining as herders look dim.
This essay discusses the timing and content of famine relief as it applies both to Samburu and other food-stressed areas. It focuses on the process of food acquisition during the northern Kenyan drought itself. The more "indigenous" food strategies of herding, hunting and gathering offered limited benefits. Equally, however, commercial channels for procuring food proved inadequate. Herders could not reliably sell animals to obtain cash for purchased food, nor were the grain and sugar staples always available even when cash was on hand. Lacking means to provide for themselves, Samburu came to depend on varied kinds of handouts.