{"title":"Linking weather and climate information services (WCIS) to Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices","authors":"Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi , Tinashe Lindel Dirwai , Cuthbert Taguta , Aidan Senzanje , Wuletawu Abera , Ajit Govid , Elliott Ronald Dossou-Yovo , Ermias Aynekulu , Vimbayi Grace Petrova Chimonyo","doi":"10.1016/j.cliser.2024.100529","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective(s)</h3><div>This study synthesises existing knowledge on the linkages between Weather and Climate Information Services (WCIS) and Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices. Specifically, it addresses the following questions: (1) What is the current status of knowledge on WCIS and CSA in the global south, specifically the African continent?, (2) Are WCIS effectively tailored and linked to CSA practices and technologies to improve agricultural water management (AWM) amongst smallholder farmers?, and (3) How can linking WCIS and CSA facilitate the identification, appraisal and prioritization of regionally differentiated and context-specific climate-appropriate technologies and policies that enhance agricultural water management at various levels (field, farm, scheme, and catchment)?</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The study used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic and Meta-Analysis Protocol (PRISMA-P) guidelines. It involved the search of the Scopus and Web of Science databases for peer-reviewed articles, books, and grey literature focussed on the global south.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The results revealed that seasonal forecasts were the main WCIS available to farmers who utilised them to plan predominantly for irrigation and water harvesting activities. Daily forecasts were linked to practices such as irrigation. The study also revealed that temperature and rainfall (amount and distribution) were predominantly disseminated to farmers through extension services. The dominant CSA practices used by farmers were carbon-smart (e.g., composting), water-smart practices (improved varieties, irrigation, RWH), weather-smart practices (IPM & crop insurance), and nitrogen-smart practices (organic fertiliser, crop diversification). Advisories on carbon-smart practices generally aligned closely with the start and end of rainfall information, while the water-smart practices were corroborated with the rainfall onset, end of rainfall season, and rainfall intensity. Weather smart practices were strongly linked to drought, temperature, and rainfall distribution, whereas nitrogen smart practices were linked with the end of rainfall and temperature.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The study concluded that distinct linkages exist between WCIS and various CSA categories. The study argues that increasing access to WCIS can facilitate the adoption and scaling of CSA practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51332,"journal":{"name":"Climate Services","volume":"37 ","pages":"Article 100529"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Climate Services","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405880724000840","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective(s)
This study synthesises existing knowledge on the linkages between Weather and Climate Information Services (WCIS) and Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices. Specifically, it addresses the following questions: (1) What is the current status of knowledge on WCIS and CSA in the global south, specifically the African continent?, (2) Are WCIS effectively tailored and linked to CSA practices and technologies to improve agricultural water management (AWM) amongst smallholder farmers?, and (3) How can linking WCIS and CSA facilitate the identification, appraisal and prioritization of regionally differentiated and context-specific climate-appropriate technologies and policies that enhance agricultural water management at various levels (field, farm, scheme, and catchment)?
Methods
The study used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic and Meta-Analysis Protocol (PRISMA-P) guidelines. It involved the search of the Scopus and Web of Science databases for peer-reviewed articles, books, and grey literature focussed on the global south.
Results
The results revealed that seasonal forecasts were the main WCIS available to farmers who utilised them to plan predominantly for irrigation and water harvesting activities. Daily forecasts were linked to practices such as irrigation. The study also revealed that temperature and rainfall (amount and distribution) were predominantly disseminated to farmers through extension services. The dominant CSA practices used by farmers were carbon-smart (e.g., composting), water-smart practices (improved varieties, irrigation, RWH), weather-smart practices (IPM & crop insurance), and nitrogen-smart practices (organic fertiliser, crop diversification). Advisories on carbon-smart practices generally aligned closely with the start and end of rainfall information, while the water-smart practices were corroborated with the rainfall onset, end of rainfall season, and rainfall intensity. Weather smart practices were strongly linked to drought, temperature, and rainfall distribution, whereas nitrogen smart practices were linked with the end of rainfall and temperature.
Conclusions
The study concluded that distinct linkages exist between WCIS and various CSA categories. The study argues that increasing access to WCIS can facilitate the adoption and scaling of CSA practices.
期刊介绍:
The journal Climate Services publishes research with a focus on science-based and user-specific climate information underpinning climate services, ultimately to assist society to adapt to climate change. Climate Services brings science and practice closer together. The journal addresses both researchers in the field of climate service research, and stakeholders and practitioners interested in or already applying climate services. It serves as a means of communication, dialogue and exchange between researchers and stakeholders. Climate services pioneers novel research areas that directly refer to how climate information can be applied in methodologies and tools for adaptation to climate change. It publishes best practice examples, case studies as well as theories, methods and data analysis with a clear connection to climate services. The focus of the published work is often multi-disciplinary, case-specific, tailored to specific sectors and strongly application-oriented. To offer a suitable outlet for such studies, Climate Services journal introduced a new section in the research article type. The research article contains a classical scientific part as well as a section with easily understandable practical implications for policy makers and practitioners. The journal''s focus is on the use and usability of climate information for adaptation purposes underpinning climate services.