Dry Corridor

The Dry Corridor or Central American Dry Corridor (CADC) is a tropical dry forest region on the Pacific Coast of Central America. This area, which extends from southern Mexico to Panama, is extremely vulnerable to climate change due to much of the population living in rural areas and in poverty, and thus dependent on grain crops for their livelihood. Climate change's effects on the region have increased the severity of droughts because of increased evaporation, reduced soil moisture, and salinization of freshwater resources.

Particularly vulnerable to climate change are the areas of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Since 2001, these areas have suffered from irregular drought patterns due to changes in the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). During an El Niño event in 2009 (the year the term "Dry Corridor" was penned), it is estimated that 50-100% of crops in these regions were affected by the water deficit, and between 2014 and 2016, millions of people in the dry corridor needed food aid due to drought during this period, which resulted in losses of the corn crop. By 2018, experts estimated that at least 25% of households in the region experienced food insecurity. As a result, relief agencies have been advised to take a "Food first" response when addressing this crisis, focusing initially on areas at highest risk of food insecurity.