Climate at their fingertips

Geneva-based World Meteorology Organisation has decided to facilitate roving seminars to benefit farmers

Starting next year, the weather forecast will come a step closer to the farmers, literally to their doorsteps. Realising the importance of communicating the improved use of climate knowledge and early warning system to the farmers, the Geneva-based World Meteorology Organisation WMO has decided to facilitate roving seminars to benefit farmers.

They are talking to the India Met Department IMD, state governments and universitiesnbsp;for initiating these seminars in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. If successful, it will be scaled up for the entire country. This is following successful interactions with farmers in Ethiopia.

8220;In a country where 60 per cent agriculture is rainfed, weather and climate is key to survival. We have some very advanced forecasting tools but if it is not reaching the farmer, what is the use?8217;8217; asked MVK Sivakumar, chief, Agriculture Meteorology nbsp; Division, WMO.

8220;We are concerned at the WMO on weather and climate-related uncertainty factors impacting farmers in India,8217;8217; he added.

A three-day workshop on Agrometeorologial Risk Management is being held in New Delhi to development better coping strategies for farmers to sustain their agricultural production.

He says the trick is to take advantage of good rainfall years and manage the bad years well. Now there are tools that are available which were not there even a decade ago. 8220;Now, we have seasonal as well as inter-annual forecasts,8217;8217; said Sivakumar. Earlier, short-terms forecast meant two days in advance, now it is 7-8 days. It is possible to do advance planning on what to sow and when keeping the weather in mind.

nbsp;For the first time, seasonal forecast was possible when it was understood that temperature of oceans had a huge impact on the weather following the TOGA experiment in the mid 80s. Before this, forecasts were based only on land and upper air observations.

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Roving seminars will get bus-loads of farmers to one central point for a day-long session with the experts. In the first half, experts will explain to them the ramifications of the forecast issues and the mitigation measures that they can undertake. In the second half, the team will get feedback from them and see what the farmers require from them.

WMO now advocates a bottom-up approach with full involvement of farmers to ensure that the agrometeorological procedures will adequately respond to the appropriate needs of farmers.

There are countries that are using these tools effectively in agriculture. In India, the focus is back to extension workers, which will need to form that vital link between the agrometeorologists and the farmers.

8220;Weather do not speak the farmer8217;s language. It will be up to the extension worker to communicate this well,8217;8217; said Sivakumar. That is the hole that needs to be plugged for allowing farmers to make full use of the most advanced technology being used in weather forecasting today.