Quantifying crop vulnerability to ash fall

Volcanoes can significantly affect rural livelihood. Volcanic active regions are endowed with fertile soils that typically develop from ash deposits emplaced during explosive eruptions. As such, these regions are often intensively cultivated and densely populated. They feed about 10 % of the world's population. However, if volcanic activity is the source of these fertile soils, it also poses a serious threat to agriculture. The type and severity of impacts to agricultural systems from volcanic eruptions are dependent on both the intensity of ash fall and crop vulnerability. Therefore, it is necessary to understand and quantify the relationship between these two parameters to assess accurately ash impact on crops and thus, to better manage the risk of crop yield loss. The objective of this work is to contribute to provide vulnerability data of different crops when exposed to ash fall in controlled conditions.