Slow Catastrophes: Living with Drought in Australia

In Slow Catastrophes, author Rebecca Jones has produced an engrossing social and environmental history of the experiences and adaptations of Europ ean-Australian farmers to drought, focusing on the period before Federation up to World War II, but with links to contemporary experiences and the spectre of drought compounded by anthropogenic climate change. In doing so, she looks at common themes among the varied case studies-their ability to tap into social networks, the use of wild harvesting and off-farm work to support them through hard times, and their ability to learn from experience and see drought not as an exceptional event but as part of the pattern of farm life in Australia that needed to be planned and prepared for. Jones examines how Australian farmers have dealt with the challenge of drought, including: * changes in agricultural practices since World War II that saw a move away from wild harvesting * the movements of farmers to more favourable locations * the lived experience of drought for those on the land.