Weather Info For All – Towards an Agriculture and Climate Advisory Service

The goal of this report is to build on the Svenska PostkodStiftelsen supported study of the weather and climate information needs of small-scale farming and fishing communities (Awiti et al. 2012) to increase support for the development of agriculture and climate advisory systems and services for farmers. The Svenska PostkodStiftelsen study has been used to highlight the need for community engagement in the creation of effective climate services for farmers. The findings were shared with the World Bank, the Global facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and other development partners including the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Group on Earth Observations (GEO). And the results are now helping shape part of a World Bank Concept note on a Regional Program for African National Meteorological and Hydrological Services. The World Bank initiative builds on several programs, including the Integrated African Strategy on Meteorology1, the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS)2 and the World Bank’s strategy for Africa3. The GFCS has four pillars – agriculture and food security, water, health, and disaster risk reduction. Building on the recommendations of the Svenska PostkodStiftelsen study (Awiti et al. 2012), the current report takes the next step to define the key components of an Agriculture and Climate Advisory Service that could be implemented in any African Country