Global hotspots of co-occurring extreme droughts in agriculture

Climatic extremes often synchronize across vast geographical areas, yet a systematic global assessment of co-occurring extreme agricultural droughts remains absent. Here, we identify 456 global spatiotemporal clusters where extreme drought simultaneously impacted major crop and livestock regions between 1980 and 2022. Using an extreme value dependence approach applied to the Standardized Precipitation and Evapotranspiration Index, we quantify exposure through food production (crop and livestock diversity) and economic value (value of production). We show that these drought clusters frequently transcend national borders and that the frequency of severe drought years has risen markedly, though intensification patterns vary by continent. Exposure hotspots – where high production value meets intensifying drought – are present on every continent except Oceania. Our results provide a critical framework for prioritizing adaptation and resilience planning and highlight the necessity of coordinated transboundary cooperation to secure global agri-food systems against escalating climatic risks.