Application and Need for Climate Services for farmers ... farmers coping with ris… · Helping farmers cope with risk • Through the ages, farmers have used indigenous knowledge

III Reunión de Gestión Institucional 2014

Application and Need for Climate Services for farmersHelping farmers cope with risk

Paramaribo, September 8, 2015

Stanley Oosthuizen BSc

Project Coordinator and Innovation Specialist


The four flagship projects :

1. Competitiveness and sustainability of agricultural chains for food security and economic development

2. Inclusion in agriculture and rural areas

3. Resilience and comprehensive risk management in agriculture

4. Productivity and sustainability of family agriculture for food security and the rural economy

IICA’s FLAGSHIP PROJECTS


Strategic objective 3:

• To improve agriculture’s capacity to mitigate and adapt to climate change and make better use of natural resources In order to develop a sustainable agriculture.

• IICA supports its member countries in:

a) developing and implementing harmonized policies and programs to promote planning processes to adapt agriculture to climate change and mitigate its effects, effective soil management and the efficient use of water resources;

b) increasing and improving the capacity of innovation systems to develop practices and materials that facilitate the efficient adaptation of agriculture to climate change and the development and application of technologies and processes to reduce the impacts of agriculture on the climate and on natural resources;

c) increasing farmers’ knowledge so that they can apply “environment-friendly” practices;

d) strengthening climate information systems, and

e) strengthening integrated risk management programs.

IICA’s FLAGSHIP PROJECTS


• IntroductionClimate change threatens the natural resource base across much of thedeveloping world. Climate change accelerates:

• ecosystem degradation and

• makes agriculture more risky.

As a result, smallholder farmers, who are so critical to global food security(they make up more than 50% of the global harvest), are facing moreextreme weather.

Small-scale farmers are impacted more immediately by:

• droughts,

• floods and storms,

Helping farmers cope with risk


IntroductionAt the same time as they suffer the gradual effects ofclimate change:

• such as water stress in crops and livestock,

•coastal erosion from rising sea levels and

•unpredictable pest infestations.

Smallholder farmers and their families are particularlyvulnerable because they have few assets to fall back onand limited ability to recover from climate extremes.Exposure to such shocks can trap small-scale farmers inpoverty and undermine their efforts to escape it.




• Through the ages, farmers have used indigenousknowledge and traditional coping strategies to adapt tochanges in weather and climatic conditions. Now,increasingly erratic climate variability is making itdifficult for farmers to keep up.

• Climate uncertainty often influences farmers’decisions. It may deter them from adopting newtechnologies and market opportunities. While takingsuch risks could improve yields and boost profits in agood season, an extreme weather event or outbreak ofdisease can wipe out crops or livestock, leaving farmerswith nothing to eat and a large debt to repay.



•Institutions that influence and support farmers, such asnational agricultural research and extension systems anddevelopment non-governmental organizations (NGOs), arealso affected by climate uncertainty because it affects thetype of backup that they provide to farmers.

•Climate uncertainty also has a negative impact on theproviders of credit and markets for productive inputs andcan make it difficult for smallholder farmers to benefitfrom agricultural markets especially when weather basedinsurance like in Suriname is absent.



•Agricultural productivity in a rain fed agriculture isdependent on weather. Therefore variability of the startand amount of the seasonal rains has a big impact tocommunities that depend on rain - fed agriculturesystems (NEMA, 2001).

•The increasing weather variability and its associatedextreme events that affect the socio - economicconditions in developing countries continue to challengeagricultural production calling for the need of agrometeorological services (Das et al., 2003; WMO, 2002).



•Climate information reduces uncertainty and canhelp farmers make better use of new seeds andtechnologies. Such information can be used tosupport complex and context-specific decisionsabout farm labor and resource allocation.

•Climate information should be accompanied byservices that communicate, train and help usersunderstand how to interpret and act on theinformation.



•Farmers have a deep knowledge about risks andvariability. For example, they can predictthe arrival of the rainy season by a change in

wind patterns andimminent rain by changes in cloud color.

•Climate forecasts bring in new information tocomplement and enhance farmers’ knowledge,enabling predictions for the rainy season to beextended beyond the timeline for traditionalindicators.



Why do farmers need weather information•substantial improvements to food security•as well as profits to larger-scale producers•In addition, droughts and floods decrease cropyields which may result into famines and alsothreaten development

Small holder farmers’ food production level relieson ability to adapt to the changes in weatherpattern that is reflected in the decision making onfarm activities


Therefore access to relevant weather forecastinformation and its communication can:• greatly reduce the risk and uncertainty in rain fedagriculture,•thus helping in guiding short - term operationdecision lead to improved decision – making at thehousehold farm level regarding seed bed preparation,crop cultivar selection and mixture, seeding, fertilizerapplication (timing and rates), crop establishmentsand crop rotation.• It also helps in the manipulation of water availabilityby restructuring the pattern of ridges or beds and theuse of excess water stored from previous seasons.




Weather forecast information relevant to smallholdercan be developed through putting in place effectiveweather forecast data and information managementsystem, and communication and disseminationsystems.This requires identifying smallholder weather forecastinformation needs based on the following:• their livelihood strategies;• local and scientific knowledge,• local institutional systems and• local agro meteorological policy that is responsive to

smallholder needs.


Conclusion

• The individual capacity of the smallholderfarmers to make informed decision aboutfarming activities is influenced by social,physical, human, natural and financialcapitals that shape knowledge andawareness.• Livelihood sources of small holder farmersare also narrower and more sensitive toweather variability than those of the largescale farmers. This is due to the inadequatefinancial, social, and political means ofsecuring alternative livelihoods than others


Conclusion

• Although the smallholders have limited income,they have assets and capabilities that can bestrengthened to enhance their capacities to utilizeweather forecast information in their dailyagricultural activities. These include the promotionof social networks among the smallholders toprovide safety nets as an immediate response inadverse times through informal networks, the needfor improved weather forecast – relatedcommunication and dissemination infrastructuredesign and incorporating local knowledge into policyactions to accommodate specific needs of thesmallholders to ensure that strategies are taken upby local communities.


THANK YOU !!

Documents

Application and Need for Climate Services for farmers ... farmers coping with ris… · Helping farmers cope with risk • Through the ages, farmers have used indigenous knowledge