climate forecasts

by Dr. Arame Tall

Farmers across the developing world are in dire need of relevant climate services. Not only do they need climate services to advise them on when to sow, harvest, and expect rains, but also to help them plan beyond the season. In other words, farmers need information to plan for a food secure future. 

But how can we build an effective system that puts important forecast information about climate in the hands of vulnerable communities, especially marginalized farmers and women, often located in remote area?  One initial step is to get all the stakeholders involved in the chain of production and communication of climate services in one room, and get them to talk for three days. Read more »

By Arame Tall

Progressive women farmers from the village of Amtrar, in Northern India, nested at the foothills of the Himalayas, wave us goodbye as we finish our day-long discussion with them to capture their assessment of the reach and practical usefulness of receiving agro-meteorological advisories for their livelihoods and farming decisions.

Since June 18, 2012, a field team from the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) has been on a mission across the five corners of India to interview farmers. This in an attempt to document their perspectives on the added-value of climate services for agricultural decision-making. Through India Meteorology Department (IMD)’s national Agro-meteorological Advisory Service (AAS) program, farmers across the country have been receiving, for a number of years, weather-based, crop-focused agro-meteorological advisories. These provide practical advice on when to planting, irrigation, what pesticide and fertilizer to use at the correct timing as well as other relevant agricultural support services. The data have been based on a five day short-range weather forecast, produced by the India Meteorology Department. Read more »

par Sonja Vermeulen

Dix à vingt ans c’est le délai typiquement nécessaire à la conception et la mise en œuvre de la plupart des interventions essentielles à l'agriculture: le développement de nouvelles variétés de cultures, les infrastructures d’irrigation ou de stockage d’eau à l’échelle de bassins versants, ou encore l'implantation et création de nouveau grands centres de traitement. La bonne conception de n’importe laquelle de ces interventions dépend d’une bonne connaissance du climat attendu une fois qu'elles seront en place et en fonctionnement. Les planificateurs et décideurs ont besoin d’avoir, à une ou deux décennies d'avance, des prévisions météorologiques locales fiables pour des variables clés telles que la variabilité interannuelle des précipitations ou la durée de la saison de croissance. Read more »