Utility and Triggers in Uptake of Agricultural Weather and Climate Information Services in Senegal, West Africa

Weather and climate information services (WCIS) are gaining recognition among scientists and governments as an essential adaptation tool for agriculture, especially in the drylands of Africa. In Senegal, the widespread production and dissemination of WCIS was initiated in 2015 to cover the agricultural, pastoral and fishing sectors. This paper analyzes the types of decisions made by WCIS users, their preferences and level of satisfaction, and explores the triggers of agricultural WCIS adoption. We collected data during the onset and cessation of the rainy seasons to understand the utility and reliability of WCIS by farmers across all stages of the growing season. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A binary logistic regression was tested to understand the socio-economic triggers in uptake of WCIS. Results showed that rainfall forecast is the most preferred WCIS (49% of the respondents) followed by extreme wind forecast. At the beginning of the rainy season, nearly 80% of the respondents have chosen the sowing date and about 60% have chosen crop varieties based on disseminated WCIS. In the middle of the growing season, about 70% of the respondents used WCIS to decide on fertilizer application dates. Results also showed that age and level of education, being trained on WCIS use, membership to farmers’ organizations, owning a radio have a significant effect on WCIS-based decision-making. These factors are essential for triggering the uptake of WCIS, and therefore are required to improve the implementation of existing weather climate services in Africa.

Download Full-text

To what extent do weather and climate information services drive the adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices in Ghana?

Climate Risk Management ◽

10.1016/j.crm.2021.100309 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 100309

Author(s):

Abdoulaye Djido ◽

Robert B. Zougmoré ◽

Prosper Houessionon ◽

Mathieu Ouédraogo ◽

Issa Ouédraogo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Information Services ◽

Climate Information ◽

Weather And Climate ◽

Smart Agriculture

Download Full-text

Why the use of weather and climate information is essential for SDG implementation

10.5194/ems2021-482 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

David Griggs

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

United Nations ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Climate Information ◽

Climate Services ◽

2030 Agenda ◽

Weather And Climate ◽

Decision Making Processes ◽

Development Goals

The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an ambitious plan for &#8220;people, &#8220;planet and prosperity&#8221;. At its core are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the achievement of which is critically affected by weather and a changing climate. To that end emphasis has been given to delivering weather and climate services, with information packaged in ways that support timely decision making.Yet often these approaches tend not to address which decision-making processes need what information, why they need it, or what form they need it in. They have also tended to be focussed on specific situations and SDGs (such as SDG 14, 15) where the need for weather and climate information is clear and obvious.In this presentation, we will look at how weather and climate information impinges on different decision making contexts, requiring that information to be tailored in new ways. In doing so we will identify key action areas that need to be addressed to improve integration of weather and climate information into SDG decision making.&#160;

Download Full-text

Mapping Tourism Stakeholders’ Weather and Climate Information-Seeking Behavior in Fiji

Weather Climate and Society ◽

10.1175/wcas-d-16-0078.1 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 377-391 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

J. Nalau ◽

S. Becken ◽

S. Noakes ◽

B. Mackey

Keyword(s):

Information Seeking ◽

Early Warning Systems ◽

Climate Impacts ◽

Small Island ◽

Information Seeking Behavior ◽

Climate Information ◽

Climate Services ◽

Tourism Sector ◽

Weather And Climate ◽

Seeking Behavior

Abstract Tourism is inherently dependent on weather and climate, and its sustainability and resilience to adverse weather and climate impacts is greatly enhanced by providing tailored climate services to tourism sector stakeholders. Climate services need to integrate standard weather forecasts, with early warning systems, seasonal forecasts, and long-term projections of climatic changes in order to meet the information needs of the sector. While a growing number of studies address the potential climate change impacts on tourism, little is known about how the tourism sector accesses, uses, and analyses the available weather and climate information. This research presents findings from an exploratory study on weather and climate information-seeking behavior of 15 private and public tourism sector stakeholders in the Republic of Fiji. The results show a variety of weather and climate information-seeking paths in use, which differ depending on levels of professional responsibility, weather and climate literacy, and information and digital competency. Those with high weather information literacy access a broader variety of sources. Hence, their interpretation does not focus only on their own location, but “weather” is seen as a broad spatial phenomenon that might or might not result in adverse effects in their location. Understanding diverse weather and climate information-seeking paths can aid in better targeting climate and adaptation services across different stakeholder groups. Especially in the context of small island developing states (SIDS), the integration of traditional, local, and scientific knowledge as information sources is likely to provide a more useful and context-specific basis for climate adaptation planning within the sector.

Download Full-text

Do climate services make a difference? A review of evaluation methodologies and practices to assess the value of climate information services for farmers: Implications for Africa

Climate Services ◽

10.1016/j.cliser.2018.06.001 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Arame Tall ◽

Jeanne Y. Coulibaly ◽

Moustapha Diop

Keyword(s):

Information Services ◽

Climate Information ◽

Climate Services ◽

Evaluation Methodologies

Download Full-text

Global disparity in the supply of commercial weather and climate information services

Science Advances ◽

10.1126/sciadv.1602632 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 3 (5) ◽

pp. e1602632 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Lucien Georgeson ◽

Mark Maslin ◽

Martyn Poessinouw

Keyword(s):

Information Services ◽

Climate Information ◽

Weather And Climate

Download Full-text

The role of knowledge networks in facilitating the creation of climate information services

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-7570 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Francesca Larosa ◽

Marta Bruno-Soares

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Diffusion Of Innovations ◽

Information Services ◽

Knowledge Networks ◽

Knowledge Network ◽

Climate Information ◽

Climate Data ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Climate Services ◽

Under Performing

Knowledge networks are collections of individuals who work together across organizational, spatial and disciplinary boundaries to develop and share a body of knowledge. Climate services are tools and applications that help support decision-making by transforming climate data into information tailored to specific users. They call for co-development practices to facilitate successful collaboration between different stakeholders. Knowledge networks for climate services are intermediaries that can facilitate the interaction between upstream (providers) and downstream (users) actors operating at various scales (local, national, regional and supranational). Such knowledge networks can therefore assist decision-making processes of a wide set of users by creating networking opportunities and disseminating usable climate information. The aim of this work is to frame and assess the efficiency of knowledge networks for climate services in promoting innovation and facilitate its diffusion. We used semi-structured interviews with knowledge networks managers to collect information about their purpose, process and audience. &#160;We then assess the efficiency of knowledge networks by performing content analysis of interviews with knowledge network managers and by checking for the existence of inconsistencies or gaps with the initial objectives. We find that knowledge networks for climate services pursue four objectives: coordination, innovation promotion, science-policy interface and support to members. We also find that knowledge networks are well-recognised players in disseminating knowledge and opportunities to climate services practitioners and policy makers. However, we observe a lack of adequate tools to monitor the activities of different members. On the communication side, knowledge networks for climate services mostly interact with developers of climate services but face challenges in sharing members&#8217; activities with users. Our work fills a significant knowledge gap and helps providing new tools of performance assessment in absence of a clearly defined methodology. The identification of bottlenecks and under-performing mechanisms in the climate information services sphere allows the elaboration of strategies to improve the status quo and facilitates the diffusion of innovations such as climate services.

Download Full-text

Trends of Rainfall Onset, Cessation, and Length of Growing Season in Northern Ghana: Comparing the Rain Gauge, Satellite, and Farmer’s Perceptions

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12121674 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 1674

Author(s):

Winifred Ayinpogbilla Atiah ◽

Francis K. Muthoni ◽

Bekele Kotu ◽

Fred Kizito ◽

Leonard K. Amekudzi

Keyword(s):

Local Knowledge ◽

Growing Season ◽

Rain Gauge ◽

Information Services ◽

Northern Ghana ◽

Climate Information ◽

Agricultural Systems ◽

The West ◽

Adaptation Measures ◽

Rainfall Seasonality

Rainfall onset and cessation date greatly influence cropping calendar decisions in rain-fed agricultural systems. This paper examined trends of onsets, cessation, and the length of growing season over Northern Ghana using CHIRPS-v2, gauge, and farmers’ perceptions data between 1981 and 2019. Results from CHIRPS-v2 revealed that the three seasonal rainfall indices have substantial latitudinal variability. Significant late and early onsets were observed at the West and East of 1.5° W longitude, respectively. Significant late cessations and longer growing periods occurred across Northern Ghana. The ability of farmers’ perceptions and CHIRPS-v2 to capture rainfall onsets are time and location-dependent. A total of 71% of farmers rely on traditional knowledge to forecast rainfall onsets. Adaptation measures applied were not always consistent with the rainfall seasonality. More investment in modern climate information services is required to complement the existing local knowledge of forecasting rainfall seasonality.

Download Full-text

Provision of Climate Services for Agriculture: Public and Private Pathways to Farm Decision-Making

Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society ◽

10.1175/bams-d-17-0253.1 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 99 (9) ◽

pp. 1781-1790 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Tonya Haigh ◽

Vikram Koundinya ◽

Chad Hart ◽

Jenna Klink ◽

Maria Lemos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Information ◽

Sources Of Information ◽

Climate Services ◽

Public And Private ◽

For Profit ◽

Key Stakeholders ◽

Weather And Climate ◽

Private And Public ◽

Management Recommendations ◽

Information Providers

AbstractThe pathways between climate information producers and agricultural decision-makers are evolving and becoming more complex, with information increasingly flowing through both public and for-profit intermediaries and organizations. This study characterizes the various channels of climate information flow, as well as the needs and preferences of information intermediaries and end users. We use data from a 2016 survey of farmers and agricultural advisors in 12 U.S. Corn Belt states to evaluate perceptions of climate information and its usability. Our findings reinforce the view that much weather and climate information is not reaching farmers explicitly but also suggest that farmers may not be aware of the extent to which the information is packaged with seed, input, or management recommendations. For farmers who are using weather and climate information, private services such as subscription and free tools and applications (apps) are as influential as publicly provided services. On the other hand, we find that agricultural advisors are engaged users and transformers of both public and private sources of weather/climate information and that they choose sources of information based on qualities of salience and credibility. Our results suggest that climate information providers could improve the use of information in agriculture by engaging advisors and farmers as key stakeholders and by strategically employing multiple delivery pathways through the private and public sectors.

Download Full-text

Understanding Women’s Needs for Weather and Climate Information in Agrarian Settings: The Case of Ngetou Maleck, Senegal

Weather Climate and Society ◽

10.1175/wcas-d-15-0075.1 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 247-264 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Edward R. Carr ◽

Grant Fleming ◽

Tshibangu Kalala

Keyword(s):

Information Needs ◽

Climate Information ◽

Climate Services ◽

Social Differences ◽

Weather Information ◽

Design And Implementation ◽

Related Development ◽

Weather And Climate ◽

The Village ◽

Precipitation And Temperature

Abstract While climate services have the potential to reduce precipitation- and temperature-related risks to agrarian livelihoods, such outcomes are possible only when they deliver information that is salient, legitimate, and credible to end users. This is particularly true of climate services intended to address the needs of women in agrarian contexts. The design of such gender-sensitive services is hampered by oversimplified framings of women as a group in both the adaptation and climate services literatures. This paper demonstrates that even at the village level, women have different climate and weather information needs, and differing abilities to act on that information. Therefore, starting with preconceived connections between identities and vulnerability is likely to result in overgeneralizations that hinder the ability to address the climate-related development and adaptation needs of the most vulnerable. Instead, as is demonstrated in this paper, the design and implementation of effective gender-sensitive climate services must start with the relevant social differences that shape people’s livelihoods decisions and outcomes, including but not limited to gender.

Download Full-text

Climate Services for eXtremes: Bi-directional knowledge transfer for developing adaptation strategies in agriculture and forestry on the example of the 2018-2020 summer drought in Germany.

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-13157 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Karsten Haustein ◽

Diana Rechid ◽

Florian Knutzen ◽

Markus Groth ◽

Paul Averbeck ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Knowledge Transfer ◽

Extreme Weather ◽

Research Strategy ◽

Adaptation Strategies ◽

Point Of View ◽

Summer Drought ◽

Climate Information ◽

Climate Services ◽

Forestry Sector ◽

Weather And Climate

The main goal of Climate Services for eXtremes (which in is an integral part of the ClimXtreme framework) is to advance our understanding of the intensity as well as the spatio-temporal distribution of extreme weather and climate events, but tailored to the needs of stakeholders in the agricultural and forestry sector. The project is designed to optimise the communication between scientists and decision makers and thus to maximise the mutual benefit with regard to climate adaption. The scientists involved learn from the interview partners what climate information is actually required on the ground to facilitate the development of adaptation strategies, whereas the sector experts gain insights into the capabilities and limits of state-of-the-art climate information.In order to increase the efficiency of the knowledge transfer between scientists and stakeholders, we introduce a process-chain based approach: (i) the sector-specific identification of the characteristics of extreme weather conditions in close cooperation with partners from forestry and agriculture, (ii) the analysis of past and future weather and climate extremes with various statistical techniques, (iii) the investigation of the effects of these extremes by means of forest and agricultural case studies, and (iv) the development of possible needs-based adaptation strategies to future climatic conditions and extreme events based on this information.The extended summer drought in Germany during the warm seasons 2018 to 2020 is the perfect testbed for the approach, given the wide-ranging consequences this multi-year event had especially on the forestry sector. The event will be analysed from a probabilistic point of view, i.e. what is the return time and what were the causal factors from an atmospheric dynamic and teleconnection point of view. There is also potential to investigate the role of climate change in terms of altered risks. With this information, we can offer initial guidance for the project partners as to what they have to prepare for. But crucially, the interview feedback will help guide our ultimate research strategy. It will be a function of spatial scale, indices of interest as well as scope and complexity of the data and services our partners require. The new insights will serve as a basis to investigate such extreme drought events under potential future climate conditions.&#160;

Download Full-text