Evaluating the soil moisture retrievals for agricultural drought monitoring over Brazil

A model for monitoring agricultural drought (SIMAGRI) has been developed in Brazil. This model is based on gridded precipitation product, real evapotranspiration calculated from vegetation index data (as proposed by [1]), and soil water storage. The soil water storage is derived from the estimation of field capacity and wilting point using pedo-transfer functions (PTFs). The SIMAGRI model suggest that the soil moisture influence is unquestionably a quantitative indicator of drought. In addition, using this model, it is possible to monitor drought episodes in agricultural regions of Brazil, especially over the Northeast, where vulnerability to drought is the highest in the country due to the prevalence of rain fed agricultural practice and frequent droughts.