Descripción de los eventos de sequía meteorológica en localidades de la Cordillera Central, Venezuela

Drought is one of the most important causes of malnutrition and hunger. Its effects can be minimized if the most vulnerable areas are known to their intensity and frequency, in order to cope with preventive, mitigating and corrective measures. The aim of this study was to describe the behavior of meteorological drought in three locations in the Central Cordillera of Venezuela, based on the information of precipitation three stations agrometeorological network of the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INIA), by Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), emphasizing the onset, intensity, duration, magnitude and frequency of occurrence of drought. The most relevant maximum magnitudes were recorded in the Tapipa-Padron station in 2001 with a magnitude of 9.70 and in 2003 with a magnitude of 9.50; CENIAP station also reported a maximum magnitude of 9.20 during 1982. The results of the estimation of SPI will contribute in identifying vulnerable to drought areas, from which proposals may be established for the design of strategies serving the integrated management of water resources and help to minimize the risk to the food safety.