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Scientists Measure Drought on Hopi Lands, Advise How to Farm

southwestdesertlover

The first decade of the 21st century has had the second largest extent of drought measured by area, and is the first warmest and fourth driest in the record of measuring drought from 1901-2010.  The 2012 census described the entire 1.6- million acre Hopi reservation as farmland, but with only 1688 acres being used as cropland, and the vast majority as range lands. KSFR’s Deborah Begel spoke to Daniel Ferguson, who leads a collaboration between the Institute of the Environment at the University of Arizona and the Hopi tribe. They discussed the thinking in drought-monitoring and climate science as it applies to the needs of the Hopi.