Development of an agricultural drought vulnerability index for risk assessment, insurance pricing, and disaster management through Google Earth engine

This study presents an implementation of the Agricultural Drought Vulnerability Index (ADVI) using Google Earth Engine to assess drought vulnerability in semi-arid agricultural regions. The methodology integrates three key components: An Exposure Index utilizing CHIRPS rainfall data, a Sensitivity Index derived from NDVI data, and an Adaptive Capacity Index incorporating soil moisture data, terrain characteristics, and water body proximity. Applied to Rajasthan, India for 2015, the analysis reveals a distinct east-west Agricultural Drought Vulnerability Index with western districts showing the highest vulnerability (Jaisalmer: 0.78, Barmer: 0.75). District-level classification shows 6 districts (18.8%) falling under Very Low vulnerability covering 13.2% of area, 16 districts under Low vulnerability spanning 34.6% of area, 5 districts (15.6%) experiencing Moderate vulnerability across 18.8% of area, and 5 districts (15.6%) facing High vulnerability affecting 33.5% of area. This agricultural drought vulnerability assessment enables targeted interventions including customized crop insurance programs and district-specific drought management strategies through the framework’s automated processing and near real-time monitoring capabilities.