Analysis and impact of meteorological droughts in the agriculture of Puno region, Peru

¹ Professional School of Topographic Engineering and Surveying, Universidad Nacional del Altiplano, Puno, Peru
² Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Universidad Nacional del Altiplano, Puno, Peru

^* Corresponding author: ralfaro@unap.edu.pe

Abstract

The research focuses on identifying and characterizing the occurrence of episodes of meteorological droughts in the Puno region in Perú, in order to determine the economic impact of this climatic phenomenon on agricultural activities in the region. From the use of the standardized rainfall index for 12 months (SPI-12) for the period 1981-2019, the occurrence, magnitude, persistence and spatial evolution of drought events in the area were determined, determining that the events that occurred in the years 1982/83, 1989/90 and 1991/92, escalated to levels of severe drought and extreme drought, mainly in the extreme south of the region, which corresponds to the provinces of El Collao, Yunguyo and Chucuito. For the determination of the impact of droughts on agriculture in the region, the records of losses of cultivated areas corresponding to the period 1997-2017 administered by the competent authority were used, finding the non-existence of a direct correlation between the presence of meteorological droughts and the economic losses in production, due to the fact that said information has a general character, not discriminating the different climatic phenomena that generate economic losses in the agriculture sector, therefore, they are not adequate to estimate the economic impact of droughts in the Puno region.