A presentation by John Gathenya at the Community Based Adaptation and Resilience in East and Southern Africa’s Drylands 1-4 September 2014, Addis Ababa

1. Climate Information Services for
Community Adaptation and
Resilience
Community Based Adaptation and Resilience in East and
Southern Africa’s Drylands
1-4 September 2014, Addis Ababa
John Gathenya
University of Reading
Walker Institute for Climate System
Research

2. The Problem
Climate risk contributes
to chronic poverty, food
insecurity and
vulnerability amongst
dryland communities.
Climate information is key
to managing current
climate risks and adapting
to a future climate.
NMHSs mandate is to
provide weather and
climate information to
climate sensitive
sectors.
Dryland communities
do not access CIS
adequately => unable
to manage risks.

3. Climate Information Services
• Is the production and communication of climate
information to the decision maker or user.
• Purpose is for the user to access, interpret and
apply CI for decision making.
• End users need Climate Services
Producers
End users
Users/Intermediaries

4. Theory of change
Investments,
Policies, Data,
Capacity
building,
Partnerships
Downscale
Communicate,
Research
Behaviour
change,
improved
skills, better
decision
making,
better risk
management
Improved
productivity,
livelihoods,
adaptation,
resilience

5. What is needed?
• Seamless suite of location-specific climate
information products
• Co-production of climate information services
• Integration of climate information with other
information needed for decision making =
Participatory approaches
• Efficient and effective dissemination approaches
that reach communities equitably and at scale
• Support systems that help communities act on
climate information to improve their livelihoods
= adaptation .... Resilience building.

6. Seamless suite of localized climate information
Analysed
Historical
Data
Seasonal
Climate
Forecast
Short term
forecast,
Alerts
Projections
of future
climate
19xx to 2013 3 months
2030
2050
2100
1month
1 day

7. Analyzed Historical Climate Data
Challenges
• Not available in good quality
in every village
• Access from NMSs not easy
• Not enough skills to analyze
and make tailored products
Opportunities
• Merging station and satellite
data => Maprooms
• Community rain data
collection
• Online course for analysts
eSIAC
7
Tanzania Met Maprooms

10. Downscaled Seasonal Forecasts
• Communities unlike
national level planners
want information closer
to them.
• NMSs have the challenge
to meet this demand.
– Network density
– Staff capacity
• Decentralization of govt
services an opportunity.

11. Everyone has a role to Play in
Linking Information to Action
Building the National Chain for
Climate Services
National Hydro-
Meteorological
Services
National Agricultural
Research and Extension
Communicators and boundary
organizations
Production of downscaled
(media, agricultural extension, NGOs,
CBOs)
(rural development planners, policy makers, seed
Credit: Arame Tall, CCAFS
National-level end users
distributors, fertilizer industry, private sector)
Final end users
(farmers, pastoralists, vulnerable communities)
forecasts
Value-addition of climate
information –> production of
agromet advisory
Two-way communication of
climate information and
advisory services
Credit: Arame Tall, CCAFS

12. Participatory Decision Support Tools
CLIMATE
(Rainfall, Temp,
Radiation)
CROP
(Phenology,
Yield
potential...)
SOIL (Texture,
Fertility, pH...)
MANAGEMENT
(Planting date,
density, weed
control, ...)
Weather & Climate Agric & Livelihoods
12

13. Participatory climate risk assessment

14. Participatory Resource Allocation Maps
(RAMs)
Explore short term responses to climate information
and long term responses to enhance resilience

15. Communication to reach farmers equitably,
at scale
• Train Nat Ag Ext, NGOs,
Farmers
– Integrate CI in extension
messages
• Use ICT and local radio
– SMS and vernacular radio
• Private sector participation
– Infomediaries
15

16. Support systems to help farmers act on
climate information
• Linkages to markets (inputs, soil analysis labs,
credit...) , technologies ...
• Farmer experimentation and research
support
16

17. Supporting farmer decision making...
Long Before
the Season
Historical
Climate Data
Participatory
Planning
2010 2000 1990 1980 1970 1960 1950 1940 1930
sans sequence seches (10 jours dans 21) gfedcb Premiere date pour le semi gfedcb
13 Jul
28 Jun
13 Jun
29 May
14 May
29 Apr
During the
Season
Short-term
Forecast & Warnings
Just Before
the Season
Seasonal
Forecast & revisit
plans
Seasonal Forecasts from http://rava.qsens.net/themes/climate_template/seasonal-forecasts/
Shortly After
the Season
Review weather,
production, forecasts &
process
Credit Peter Dorward

18. Some CIS projects in East & Southern
Africa
• GFCS = Global Framework for Climate Services
project in Malawi and Tanzania
• CCAFS work in Eastern Africa (Kenya, Uganda,
Tanzania, Ethiopia ... Rwanda)
• IFAD’s KCALP programme in Kenya

19. Acknowledgement
• CCAFS Eastern Africa for funding the Nyando
Climate Information Services Project