World Meteorological OrganizationWorking together in weather, climate and water

WMO OMM

WMO www.wmo.int

Overview of Agricultural Meteorology in WMO

Robert StefanskiChief

Agricultural Meteorology Division

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WMO OMMWorld Meteorological Organization

• United Nations agency for weather, climate, hydrology and water resources and related environmental issues.

• 189 Members from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS)

• 10 major scientific & technical programmes (Secretariat)• 8 Technical Commissions advise & guide activities of

programmes (Experts)• 6 Regional Associations involved in implementation

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WMO Strategic Thrusts (2012-2015)

• Improving service quality and service delivery;• Advancing scientific research and application, as well

as development and implementation of technology;• Strengthening capacity-building;• Building and enhancing partnerships and cooperation;• Strengthening good governance

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Five priority Areas

• Global Framework for Climate Services;• Aviation meteorological services;• Capacity-building for the developing and least

developed countries;• Implementation of the WMO Integrated Global

Observing System (WIGOS) and WMO Information System (WIS);

• Disaster risk reduction

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WMO OMMWMO Technical Commissions

• Commission for Aeronautical Meteorology (CAeM)• Commission for Agricultural Meteorology (CAgM)• Commission for Atmospheric Sciences (CAS)• Commission for Basic Systems (CBS)• Commission for Climatology (CCl) • Commission for Hydrology (CHy)• Commission for Instruments and Methods of Observation (CIMO)• Joint WMO-IOC Commission for Oceanography and Marine

Meteorology (JCOMM)

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Commission for Agricultural Meteorology (CAgM) – Terms of Reference

• Support applications of meteorology to management of agriculture, livestock, forestry, rangelands and fisheries sectors;

• Assist Member countries in developing/establishing their agrometeorological services particularly on:– Operational use of knowledge concerning weather and climate

for sustainable agricultural management through conservation and better use of natural resources;

– Use of weather and agrometeorological observations, forecasts and warnings for operational purposes;

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Commission for Agricultural Meteorology (CAgM) – Terms of Reference (2)

– Use of climate observations and predictions;– Adaptation to climate variability and change (developing

countries);– Combating unfavourable influences of weather and climate on

agricultural subsectors, including weather-related pests and diseases;

– Protection of agricultural produce in storage/transit against damage due to direct and indirect influences of weather and climate;

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Commission for Agricultural Meteorology (CAgM) – Terms of Reference (3)

• Improve coordination and collaboration mechanisms with users of weather and climate information in agricultural subsectors & liaise actively with weather and climate service providers;

• Formulate data and information requirements for agricultural purposes;

• Foster development and use of effective communication methodsfor acquiring and disseminating agrometeorological information, advice and warnings to agricultural subsectors and getting feedback;

• Promote a better understanding of the interactions and impacts of weather and climate in regards to drought and desertification;

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Key priorities for 2011-2014 fromCAgM Strategic Plan (1)

• Support agrometeorological training at regional, national and local levels;

• Develop enhanced services for the agricultural, livestock, forestry, rangelands and fisheries communities and partner agencies, for example:– Climate services and development of the climate user

interface as part of GFCS;– Human services including agrometeorological consultation;– Technological applications to communicate information to

decision-makers;– Identification of innovative risk-management systems in

global food production;

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Key priorities for 2011-2014 fromCAgM Strategic Plan (2)

• Encourage development of knowledge sharing interfacebetween scientists, extension services and the agricultural decision-makers;

• Encourage sharing of resources among WMO Members and other organizations to create synergies, to support human health and economic development;

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EC LXII - 2010 11

Management Group(MG)

OPAG 1Agrometeorological

Services for Agricultural Production

Chairperson: S. Walker (RA I)Co-chairperson:

L.S. Rathore (RA II)

COMMISSION FOR AGRICULTURAL METEOROLOGYCOMMISSION FOR AGRICULTURAL METEOROLOGYPresident: Byong Lee, Vice-President: Federica Rossi

OPEN PROGRAMME AREA GROUPS (OPAGs)

OPAG 2Support Systems for Agrometeorological

Services

Chairperson: O. Brunini (RA III)Co-chairperson:

H. Shannon (RA VI)

OPAG 3Climate

Change/Variability and Natural Disasters

In AgricultureChairperson: R. Stone (RA V)

Co-chairperson: S. Orlandini (RA IV)

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Guide to Agricultural MeteorologicalPractices (2010)

1. General2. Agricultural Meteorological Variables & Their Observations 3. Agricultural Meteorological Data & Statistical Analysis4. Remote Sensing & GIS Applications in Agrometeorology5. Weather And Climate Forecasts For Agriculture 6. Agrometeorological Forecasting 7. Climate & Weather Risk Assessment for Disaster

Preparedness & Agricultural Planning 8. Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture9. Applications of Meteorology to Agriculture

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Guide to Agricultural MeteorologicalPractices (2010)

10. Agrometeorology of Some Selected Crops (8)11. Applications of Meteorology to Forestry & Non-Forest Trees12. Weather & Climate & Animal Production13. Application of Agrometeorology to Aquaculture & Fisheries14. Agrometeorological Aspects of Desertification15. Aerobiology16. Applications of Climatic Resources in Mountainous Regions17. Communicating Agroclimatological Information, including

Forecasts, for Agricultural Decisions

www.wmo.int/agmclick on Guide on right-hand menu

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Key Questions in AgroMeteorology

What are the weather / climate events that impact agricultural decision-making?

How to relate weather / climate information to meaningful agricultural actions / practices?

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Impact of Agrometeorogical

services

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2009 Seminar - Mali Met Service Presentation

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2009 Seminar – Farmers ask Questions

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2009 Seminar – Demonstration of Raingauge

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Example of Crop Planting Advice based on Rainfall

Crops: Millet and Sorghum• Crop Cycle: 90 – 120 days• 1 – Avoid planting before 10 June, but proceed to make field preparations.• 2 – From 11 to 30 June, plant long-cycle crops (120 days) as soon as the 10-

day cumulative recorded rainfall which reaches or surpasses 20 mm.• 3 – From 1 to 20 July, plant short-cycle crops (90 days) as soon as the 10-day

cumulative recorded rainfall reaches or surpasses 10 mm.

Due to the high spatial variability of rainfall, each farmer orvillage can make planting decisions based on their own raingauge.

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20“Agriculture in Mali” in Climate Risk Management in Africa: Learning from Practice. Hellmuth, M.E., Moorhead, A., Thomson, M.C., and Williams, J. (eds) 2007 IRI

Crop yields and farm incomes for farmers taking management decisions with and without agrometeorologicalinformation, in the 2003–2004 season.

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Example from India - Weather based agro-advisories (Bulletins)

AAS farmers received agro-advisories based on medium-range weather forecasts including optimum use of inputs for different farm operations.

Timeliness of proper agro-advisories given for various farm operations might have saved the crops from possible moisture stress, nutritional stress and pest attack.

non-AAS farmers used the same quality of inputs, but their timing of applications was different from that of the AAS farmers.

This timing did not lead to control of nutritional and water stress and pest attack with same efficiency, and ultimately lead to difference in crop yield.

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Economic impact using 3-7 Day Weather Forecasts in India

Crop Station name

% change in cost of Prod. (per acre)

% change in crop yield (per acre)

% change in profit (per acre)

Cotton HissarCoimbatore

1-4

1416

1016

Rice LudhianaKalyani

-6-3

921

1829

Wheat Ludhiana -6 9 17Mustard Hissar -3 8 13

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WMO Projects in Agricultural Meteorology

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www.wamis.org

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WMO OMMWAMIS – www.wamis.org

• WAMIS helps members to disseminate and improve their agrometeorological products. Dedicated web server allows countries to place their agromet. bulletins and advisories on near real-time basis. Products from 50 Members and Organizations.

• Hosts tools and resources to help members improve the quality and presentation of their agromet. bulletins. Over 70 links.

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WMO OMMAgrometeorological Projects

• METAGRI-OPS Project – West Africa – 15 Countries• Soil Moisture Decision Support System - Africa

• Rockefeller Foundation Grant for Training of Trainers on Weatherand Climate Information and Products for Agricultural Extension Services in Ethiopia (Two years);

• Caribbean Agrometeorolgical Intiative (CAMI) funded by EU ACP (3 years);

• World Bank Project in Lake Victoria Region –• Severe Weather Forecasting Demonstration Project (SWFDP)• Agriculture and Fisheries

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Severe Weather Forecasting

Demonstration Project (SWFDP)

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Cascading Approach for Forecasting

Global NWP centres to provide available NWP products, including in the form of probabilities;

Regional centres to interpret information received from global NWP centres, run limited-area models to refine products, liaise with the participating NMHSs;

NMHSs to issue alerts, advisories, severe weather warnings; to liaise with DMCPAs and the media, and to contribute to the evaluation of the project.

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Cascading Forecasting Process

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Global Centers NMCsRSMC

Disaster Management 

Centres

AgricultureLake Victoria Fishers

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Key Objectives of SWFDP-Eastern Africa

To establish the technical operating infrastructure of the demonstration project incorporating the cascading forecasting process, in order to commence improvements in the lead time and accuracy of forecasts for extreme weather phenomena;

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Key Objectives of SWFDP-Eastern Africa

To develop/enhance dissemination systems to improve delivery of products and services to the general public, disaster management and media as the main users with a particular focus on: agricultural activities, food security and food aid; safety of fishing and transport vessels on the Lake

Victoria and over the coastal areas of western Indian Ocean;

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Key Objectives of SWFDP-Eastern Africa

To improve communication of warnings and forecasts with users at all levels but with a particular focus on the community level with a view to measuring progress in the uptake and use of the information provided through the project, at the community level.

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AgM representative Responsibilities (3.3.5)

Isack Yonah (TMA) researching and defining required forecast products relevant

for agrometeorology; coordinate the agromet working group on relevant issues,

including service delivery to the agriculture community; advising NMHSs on using products from the SWFDP project

to improve agricultural weather forecasts and advisories, and in determining potential crop production impacts, especially due to extreme events.

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SWFDP Agromet Working Group

Isack Yonah (Tanzania, Regional Representative)

Liliane Hatungimana (Burundi) Tsegaye Ketema (Ethiopia) Peter Njuguna (Kenya) Jean-Claude Bucumi (Rwanda) Charles Obeke (Uganda)

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SWFDP-EA project to focus on following severe weather events

a) Heavy rain;

b) Strong winds;

c) Large waves (coastal areas of the western Indian Ocean and Lake Victoria);

d) Dry spells (five day products from the regional LAM, ten day products pending availability from global centres).

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World Meteorological OrganizationWorking together in weather, climate and water

WMO OMM

WMO www.wmo.int

Thank Yourstefanski@wmo.intwww.wmo.int/agm

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WMO OMMET 2.2 TORs

a) To review the representative support systems for agrometeorological services for decision-making at different levels of scale (farm-scale, catchment scale, marketing scale and policy scale);

b) To prepare a review on the use of weather forecasts and seasonal climate predictions including NWP products supplemented with GIS, RS information and ICT tools for agrometeorological applications;

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WMO OMMET 2.2 TORs

c) To develop a framework for communicating the outputs of support systems for different decision-making scales by diverse levels of farmers;

d) To develop guidance material on decision support systems for agrometeorological services at different scales;

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WMO OMMET 2.2 TORs

e) To make recommendations on the use of weather forecast and seasonal climate predictions including NWP products supplemented with GIS, RS information and ICT tools for agrometeorological applications;

f) To submit reports in accordance with timetables established by the OPAG and/or the MG.