1 Agrometeorology and Sustainable Development Agrometeorological services to prepare farmers for climate extremes and climate use Introduction C.J. Stigter, Agromet Vision File: StigterAgM.Services II. intro

2 My Roving Seminars are on concepts and policies. You have been fed data all the time. This is the context in which these data should be important. The theory and practice of agrometeorological services (RSI) are now replaced by sustainable development (RSII).

3 Jared Diamond: Collapse – how societies choose to fail or to survive Five factors explain collapse of societies: human damage to the environment climate change enemies changes in trade relations political, economical and social responses to the developments mentioned above.

4 Why this approach? Example from Indonesia. Questions on problems with underutilization of automatic weather stations from provincial agrometeorologists. This is the symptom of a disease!

5 Underutilization of data must be caused by a lack of active analysis of existing problems in agricultural production with an agrometeorological component. No policies, no cure. I will say that a hundred times!

6 Also when I was regularly lecturing at the Institute Pertanian Bogor (IPB), the Agricultural University of Bogor, between 1999 and 2004, there was little agrometeorology related to any farmer’s conditions. I emphasized that necessity.

7 That has changed now. Particularly in their support to the training of intermediaries at Farmer/Climate Field Schools. This is a new approach!

8 Another example comes from Vietnam! In a Workshop in 2002 for provincial agrometeorologists it appeared that they had very little to offer to farmers. They kept quiet and had few contacts with extension people or users.

9 Also this has changed now. In Stigter et al. (2007), presented in New Delhi, that I will deal with later in this course, it is reported from Vietnam that disasters to agriculture have been regionally recognized. Solutions have been sought in changing cropping calendars and patterns and in proposals on water and tree management.

10 ODA studies in Africa have indicated that information available to farmers was most often not what they wanted or needed most! WMO/CAgM reports from Africa show that interaction with farmers left much to be desired.

Another WMO/CAgM report, on communication of agrometeorological information, showed that all paper information does not work with African farmers, unless extensionists explain and work with the farmers on the scenarios. Internet appears a limited solution, even in the western world.

12 Research farms programs in India were scientist oriented and not farmer or user oriented. This resulted in only small grain yield (maize, sorghum, millet) increases with seasonal rainfall in farmers’ fields that did not match increases on the research farms.

13 Presently in India there is a complete overhaul going on of the agrometeorological advisory services under the India Meteorological Department in Pune, Maharashtra, where the IMD agromet is.

14 Poverty alleviation will be served! Work in China shows that information services for rural people as well as their supporting technologies (means of communication) should always be differentiated according to occupation and income. Poverty alleviation will be served!

15 Asian Pacific Network Projects So called “global change research”. But it is again about forecasting and modelling and not about services to farmers that have to be the ultimate goals of all these projects. Research interests should not be the driving force. Response to farmers’ needs and conditions ought to be the starting point.

16 Participating in an APN project on “Climate and Crop Disease Risks” I presented in Hyderabad (2006), in Dhaka (2008) and in Phnom Penh (2009) ways how to organize coping with crop disease risks of farmers in poor countries.

17 I concluded that indeed a very strong future project could be built around setting up of “Climate/Farmer Field Schools” for disease risk communications, leading to the establishment of agrometeorological services for participating farmers.

18 To make maximum use of weather and climate and protect the agricultural environment from damage and hazards, establishment of an inventory of best practices for natural risk reduction that have actually made a difference in the livelihood of farmers would be extremely helpful.

19 Starting with an inventory from southern Africa and then trying to identify examples from elsewhere, this should lead to well defined agrometeorological services to increase preparedness of farmers for climate extremes and climate use. This will serve sustainable development.

20 Conclusions from the intro: Analyses of existing priority problems must be made for the current farming systems, with the farmers concerned themselves advising on their needs. Provincial/regional agrometeorologists are as important as the means they have to actually serve the farmers with planning and information. All local research undertakings must intentionally be related to these means, needs and problems.

21 Recommendations from the intro: Dialogues with farmers, of each farming system distinguished in the region, are the very beginning of preparing for agrometeorological services. For various groups involved, income levels must be considered as well as occupation, where applicable. An inventory of best practices for natural risk reduction, that have actually made a difference in the livelihood of farmers, should be established.