What is the definition of a drought?

Answer 1

A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Droughts are harmful to people because without rain water, the crops in the fields suffer and the wells for drinking water are depleted. It is bad for the economy in general and for farmers in particular.

Further information:

Drought may be a result of the El Nino phenomenon, which brings dry conditions to some parts of the world for sometimes as long as several years at a time. It increase the likelihood of desertification.

Desertification and drought form a vicious circle as desertification increases drought-like conditions, and makes it increasingly difficult for the land to recover. Desertification may occur as a result of man's intervention in the environment, particularly activities such as deforestation and cutting down trees, over-grazing of stock animals, or farming unsuitable crops for a region (e.g. rice, which has to have large amounts of water pumped to it).