§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the aridity index was, broken down by country in(a) 1975, (b) 1985, (c) 1995 and (d) 2002. [165813]
§ Mr. BradshawThe aridity index is currently being developed as an index of desertification risk for Mediterranean areas by Spanish and Portuguese academics and supported by European research funds. It is an index of the average water available in the soil, defined as the ratio between mean annual precipitation and mean annual evapotranspiration. The research work is scheduled for completion by the end of 2004.