Climate Information Services for Community Adaptation and

Resilience

John GathenyaUniversity of Reading

Walker Institute for Climate System Research

Community Based Adaptation and Resilience in East and Southern Africa’s Drylands

1-4 September 2014, Addis Ababa

The ProblemClimate risk contributes to chronic poverty, food insecurity and vulnerability amongst dryland communities.

Climate information is key to managing current climate risks and adapting to a future climate.

NMHSs mandate is to provide weather and climate information to climate sensitive sectors.

Dryland communities do not access CIS adequately => unable to manage risks.

Climate Information Services• Is the production and communication of climate

information to the decision maker or user. • Purpose is for the user to access, interpret and

apply CI for decision making.• End users need Climate Services

ProducersEnd users

Users/Intermediaries

Theory of change

Investments, Policies, Data, Capacity building, Partnerships

Downscale Communicate, Research

Behaviour change, improved skills, better decision making, better risk management

Improved productivity, livelihoods, adaptation, resilience

Actions

Outputs

Impact

Inputs

What is needed?

• Seamless suite of location-specific climate information products

• Co-production of climate information services• Integration of climate information with other

information needed for decision making = Participatory approaches

• Efficient and effective dissemination approaches that reach communities equitably and at scale

• Support systems that help communities act on climate information to improve their livelihoods = adaptation .... Resilience building.

Seamless suite of localized climate information

Analysed Historical

Data

Seasonal Climate Forecast

Short term forecast,

Alerts

Projections of future climate

19xx to 2013 3 months2030 2050 2100

1month1 day

Analyzed Historical Climate DataChallenges

• Not available in good quality in every village

• Access from NMSs not easy• Not enough skills to analyze

and make tailored products

Opportunities• Merging station and satellite

data => Maprooms• Community rain data

collection• Online course for analysts

eSIAC

7

Tanzania Met Maprooms

Adama,Ethiopia

Nyando,Kenya

Downscaled Seasonal Forecasts

• Communities unlike national level planners want information closer to them.

• NMSs have the challenge to meet this demand.– Network density– Staff capacity

• Decentralization of govt services an opportunity.

Everyone has a role to Play in Linking Information to Action

Credit: Arame Tall, CCAFS

Final end users(farmers, pastoralists, vulnerable communities)

National-level end users(rural development planners, policy makers, seed

distributors, fertilizer industry, private sector)

Communicators and boundary organizations

(media, agricultural extension, NGOs, CBOs)

National Agricultural Research and Extension

National Hydro-Meteorological

Services

Production of downscaled forecasts

Value-addition of climate information –> production of agromet advisory

Two-way communication of climate information and

advisory services

Credit: Arame Tall, CCAFS

Building the National Chain for Climate Services

Participatory Decision Support Tools

CLIMATE(Rainfall, Temp,

Radiation)

CROP (Phenology, Yield

potential...)

SOIL (Texture, Fertility, pH...)

MANAGEMENT(Planting date, density, weed

control, ...)

12

NMS Ag ResAg Ext

Agro-dealers

CBOsIK

Weather & Climate Agric & Livelihoods

Participatory climate risk assessment

Participatory Resource Allocation Maps (RAMs)

Explore short term responses to climate information and long term responses to enhance resilience

Communication to reach farmers equitably, at scale

15

• Train Nat Ag Ext, NGOs, Farmers– Integrate CI in extension

messages• Use ICT and local radio

– SMS and vernacular radio• Private sector participation

– Infomediaries

Till the last mile…..

Support systems to help farmers act on climate information

16

• Linkages to markets (inputs, soil analysis labs, credit...) , technologies ...

• Farmer experimentation and research support

Long Before the Season

Historical Climate Data

sans sequence seches (10 jours dans 21)

gfedcb

Premiere date pour le semi

gfedcb

2010

2000

1990

1980

1970

1960

1950

1940

1930

13 Jul

28 Jun

13 Jun

29 May

14 May

29 Apr

Seasonal Forecasts from http://rava.qsens.net/themes/climate_template/seasonal-forecasts/

During the Season

Short-termForecast & Warnings

WARNING

Just Before the Season

Seasonal Forecast & revisit

plans

Participatory Planning

Shortly After the Season

Review weather, production, forecasts &

process

Supporting farmer decision making...

Credit Peter Dorward

Some CIS projects in East & Southern Africa

• GFCS = Global Framework for Climate Services project in Malawi and Tanzania

• CCAFS work in Eastern Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia ... Rwanda)

• IFAD’s KCALP programme in Kenya

Acknowledgement

• CCAFS Eastern Africa for funding the Nyando Climate Information Services Project