EVOLUTION OF DROUGHT POLICY AND RELATED SCIENCE IN AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH-AFRICA

Australia and South Africa are dominated by extensive agriculture, bot h countries being predominantly arid and exposed to a highly variable climate. Limiting land degradation, maintaining the financial viabilit y of farms and improving the risk-management skills of farmers are com mon problems which government and industry in both countries are attem pting to address. Both countries are currently refining their approach es to drought management, and have been making substantial use of scie nce in improving the monitoring and assessment of drought, and the man agement of the land. Unlike the situation in Australia, however, South Africa's approach is being reviewed against the backdrop of a fundame ntal reorientation of broader agricultural policies in the context of that country's transition to a fully fledged democracy. The changing a pproach to drought policy in South Africa can therefore only be fully understood in the context of this broader process of change. This pape r compares the climate and agriculture of Australia and South Africa, and how their different drought policies have evolved. Observations ar e made on the role of scientists in providing advice to political deci sion makers, and ways in which the process of decision making with res pect to drought may be improved. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All ri ghts reserved.