ICCS6- February 11-13, 2020 | Pune, India. Weather and climate services agencies need to have a continuous dialogue with the users to attain feedback as apart of ongoing evaluation and development of information, products and services. Hence, there is a gap between climate information, knowledge and its use by farmers that the Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) approach can help close, adding value to the traditional method used by extension services in Latin America. For PICSA, farmers engagement is paramount for climate services success, working with farmers in a participatory manner to support planning and decision-making, contribute to a bottom-up change and to generate adequate investment policies aimed at offering tailored solutions for the existing demand. This research is the first study applying PICSA in Latin America and involved implementation in Colombia, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras to investigate the potential of providing climate services for agriculture as a way to improve climate risk management. PICSA involves a Training-of-Trainers (ToT) approach for extension services, breakout sessions with farmers in a series of structured steps that includes actual and “dream scenario” maps, agroclimatic calendars, understanding the climate information and forecast, and participatory decision-making tools (for crops, livestock, livelihoods). Using a mixed-methods approach to combine a quantitative survey with qualitative case study analyses, this poster outlines the reasons behind the farmers’ assessments and the decisions they made following their participation in the PICSA approach. 68% of the farmers made changes such as (i) planting a different crop or variety, (ii) changing management practices, (iii) changing planting date and (iv) modifying the type/quantity of inputs. This study demonstrates that PICSA stimulated farmers to consider and then implement a range of innovations, and also boosted the demand for improved climate services.

1. Farmers in motion: Latin American
climate services in action.
ICCS6- FEBRUARY 11-13, 2020 | PUNE, INDIA
Diana C. Giraldo (UoR & CIAT)
d.c.giraldo@pgr.reading.ac.uk
Peter Dorward, Graham Clarkson, Diego
Obando, Luis Ortega & Amilcar Aguilar
1

2. Climate services in Latin America (LAM)
Mapping of
actors and
agro-climatic
information
needs and
flows
Evaluation
climate
information
products
Local
Technical
Agroclimatic
Committees
(MTAs)
Participatory
Integrated
Climate
Services for
Agriculture
(PICSA)
http://bit.ly/3aKABnrhttp://bit.ly/38GXy9j http://bit.ly/34TCI57
2
Demand Supply U-P Interface Decision-making

3. Background
The climate service must fit the farmer's
context and meet their needs working as a
system, considering the linkages between
components with a transversal part of
evaluation and monitoring. In the end, the
system must be demand-driven research in
climate services.
For PICSA, farmers engagement is
paramount for climate services success,
working with farmers in a participatory
manner to support planning, evaluating its
influence on farmer’s decision making,
households and innovation behaviours.
3
Figure 1. Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture components.
Generation
Communication
Participatory
Decision-
Making Tools

4. 4PICSA in LAM
COLOMBIA (POPAYAN - BOYACA)NICARAGUA (TUMA LA DALIA)
Does PICSA
influence the
farmer's decision-
making and the way
that extension
services operate,
and if so how?
Climate services for
different types of
farmers

5. Methods
5
Qualitative
Participatory
Research
Farmers
Workshops
Extension
Workshops
Case study
Interviews
Quantitative
Evaluation
Focus
Group
Surveys
Kind of analysis
Design frame
Gathering Data
PICSA involves a Training-of-Trainers (ToT) approach for extension services, breakout sessions with farmers (usually
around 3–4 sessions per group) in a series of structured steps that includes resources allocation maps, agroclimatic
calendars, understanding the climate information and forecast. Also, to analyse and compare different crop, livestock
and livelihood practices that may help farmers in the context of their local climate and resources.

6. 6Figure 2. components of
the experience domain.
Resource Allocation Map: Current and Dream
Why is it important for farmers to
understand climate information
and where it comes from?
Matrix of options
Information, Inspiration and Co-creation. Sanders (2001)

7. 7
Farmers identify potential responses to the climate forecasts
Facilitating implementation of
farmers’ choices

8. Monitoring & Evaluation (ToT)
8
In training with the extension services (2-3 days), an evaluation of the workshop is carried out. Then, to monitor the PICSA process
(challenges, innovations, lessons learned) that extensionists took with their farmer groups, focus groups are carried out.
Mentimeter
tool
How do you do extension with your farmers?
Lower
frequency

9. 9
n= 192 farmers in Honduras 46% of the farmers made changes (57% women)
Are these changes related to?
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
FOLLOWING THE TRAINING, I FEEL THAT I AM MORE ABLE
TO COPE WITH BAD YEARS (CAUSED BY THE WEATHER)
THE TRAINING THAT I HAVE RECEIVED HAS MADE ME
MORE CONFIDENT IN PLANNING AND MAKING DECISIONS
ABOUT MY FARMING
AS A RESULT OF THE TRAINING, I AM NOW MORE
CONFIDENT TO TALK ABOUT FARMING WITH MY FELLOW
FARMERS
AS A RESULT OF THE TRAINING THAT I HAVE RECEIVED, I
NOW SEE FARMING AS MORE OF A BUSINESS THAN I DID
PREVIOUSLY
Disagree_strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Agree_strongly
Changes that
respondents made in
their crop enterprises
as a result of the
PICSA training (n =
134)
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
I grew a new or different crop I grew a new or different variety
I increased the scale of land at which I grew a crop or variety I decreased the scale of land at which I grew a crop or variety
I changed the date that I planted my crops I changed the type oramount of inputs that I used in my crop
I changed the way that I manage my land and / or my crops

10. Future Research
10
Community of
practice
Empowering young
people
Sustainability and
Scalability strategies
Food security and
nutrition monitoring

11. Thank you!
11
Web page: https://ccafs.cgiar.org/es/agroclimas# |
https://research.reading.ac.uk/picsa/
Twitter: @danagirando | Linkedin: dianacgiraldociat