Climate Information Services for smallholder farmers in the global South

<p>Rural households and farming communities in developing economies of the global South are increasingly developing their agricultural operations and are becoming more (urban) market oriented. Growing higher value crops is essential for their further development. However, climate and weather-related risks are also growing which reduces farming productivity. A vital adaptation strategy is to become better informed about weather and climate variability and change.</p><p>Planning of farming activities (e.g. choice of crops, planting date, irrigation, pesticide and fertilizer application, etc.) in many developing countries, used to rely on experiential knowledge of climatic patterns and weather variability. Farmers used to possess knowledge on, for example, when the first rains arrive and how much water is likely to become available and when to expect floods. However, increased hydro-climatic variability as a result of climate change makes farmer predictions increasingly uncertain and farmers are threatened by extreme conditions resulting in crop failure, pest and disease outbreak.</p><p>Participatory climate information services can reduce these uncertainties and support farm activities. It can offset climate change impacts, increase adaptive capacity of local vulnerable farmers, unlock their farm potential and build resilient and sustainable farming systems in developing areas of the global South.</p>