Communicating Climate Information Services at Scale: The Key Role of

Intermediaries

Good Practices from Africa & South Asia Dr. Arame TallClimate Services- Scientist, Champion

a.tall@cgiar.org

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2 • 3/21/11What do we mean by Climate Services for

Farmers?

Climate information services can build resilience by empowering farmers to anticipate and manage climate-related hazards

3 • 3/21/11Why Farmers are Not Getting Relevant Climate

Services

We need to work together to overcome these

tenacious challenges to Climate Service delivery for

Farmers

Credit: Arame Tall, CCAFS

4 • 3/21/11

PRIORITY #1:ALL OF YOU HAVE A ROLE TO

PLAY IN LINKING KNOWLEDGE WITH

ACTION

5 • 3/21/11 The National Chain of Climate Services

Credit: Arame Tall, CCAFS

Fig. 1: Multiple levels in the Chain of Climate Service Production, Tailoring and Communication

6 • 3/21/11

6

Promoting a coordinated Framework for Climate

Service DeliveryGlobal

Regional

National

Fig. 2:A Best practice model of the Cycle of Climate Service Production

Focus on Equity

7 • 3/21/11

PRIORITY #2: FROM DISSEMINATION

TO2-WAY COMMUNICATION

8 • 3/21/11

• Salient communication channels identified to reach most vulnerable: SMS in local language Forecast bulletin boards in

strategic outposts across village At village mosque At water boreholes (women) Rural radio, media professionals Community relays/boundary

organizations (NGOs, CBOs)

Communicating to Reach ‘the last mile’

Credit: Francesco Fiondella, IRI

Credit: Arame Tall, CCAFS

9 • 3/21/11

PRIORITY #3: BE A PROFESSIONAL LISTENER,

START WITH FARMER INFORMATION NEEDS

10 • 3/21/11

• Open Spaces for iterative dialogue to develop useful products for farmers

• PAR > Key to engage communities, identify farmer information gaps, adaptation needs, capture local innovation

Co-production of Climate services

• Preliminary Results of Kaffrine climate services project – Increase in access, from handful

in 2011 to 100% by 2012– Demonstrated Usefulness of

climate information, for all products across timescales

– Added value to traditional forecasts

Giving Famers a Voice In Design of Climate Service

11 • 3/21/11

• Identify specific climate service needs of women and other underserved groups

• Place specificity of farmers’ needs

• Different Cultural norms and socialization from village to village

Climate Service Needs of women farmers in Fass (Left) different from those in Dioly Right). Credit: Tall, CCAFS

Focus on the Most Vulnerable:

Equity Considerations

12 • 3/21/11

PRIORITY #4: STRENTHENING FARMERS’

ABILITY TO USECLIMATE SERVICES

13 • 3/21/11

Credit: Mariane Diop-Kane, ANACIM

The shorter the time range,

the more accurate the

forecast

Credit: Red Cross/PetLab

Bringing together forecasters and farmers to put climate forecasts at the service of communities at risk

from climate-related risks

FassDjoly

Malem

Innovative tools to Communicate forecasting uncertainty

- Didactic Games

14 • 3/21/11Communicating Downscaled Seasonal forecasts to farmers

> The PDF

Farmers discussing what 1mm of rain means…

Credit: Dr. Ousmane Ndiaye, ANACIM

Credit: J. Hansen, CCAFS Ousmane Ndiaye, ANACIM

15 • 3/21/11

Credit: J. Hansen, IRI/CCAFSKPC Rao, ICRISAT

….To Wote, Eastern Kenya: Research in Development

16 • 3/21/11

• Suite of Seemless forecasting products– Seasonal– Dekadal– 72h– 48h– 3h- nowcasting

Communicate Evolving Probabilities: Putting

Farmers in Charge

HOURS DAYS WEEKS MONTHS YEARS DECADES …

WEATHER CLIMATE

• Tailored to User needs Content: hazards, scales Timing: Alarm threshold Message format & language

Confirmation of risks as season unfolds Key to empower farmers to manage uncertainties inherent in climate forecasting

17 • 3/21/11

• Examples surveyed by CCAFS prove that it is today Mission Possible to reach millions of farmers with salient and downscaled climate information and advisory services relevant to support their decision-making under an uncertain climate.

• It is time to Scale Up this approach for many other farmers to have access and benefit from available climate information and advisory services.

• Intermediaries Play a Key Role in this Agenda. Photo: Farmer in Ouelessebougou village,

happy beneficiary of Mali’s 30year old Agromet advisory program. Credit: A. Tall, CCAFS

For more information, contact:Arame Tall, a.tall@cgiar.org

Reaching Farmers with Climate Services at Scale > Mission Possible