Human-water interactions shaping drought and water security

In the drought research group at VU Amsterdam, we study human-water interactions related to drought and water security from an interdisciplinary perspective. In this presentation, I would like to highlight a few ongoing projects in Africa, Latin-America and Europe. In Kenya, for example, we see that drought impacts decreased over time, but also that deforestation and commercial farming increased which affect water availability. In the Netherlands, we found that drought adaptation measures implemented by farmers and water boards seem to have a positive effect on groundwater levels, both during dry and wet periods. I will also discuss different methodologies (narrative interviews, agent-based modelling) and our collaborations with water authorities and policy makers.