WMO SIDE EVENT AT COP 11MOP 1 Climate

WMO SIDE EVENT AT COP 11/MOP 1: Climate Knowledge for Adaptation and Sustainable Development --------------The use of meteorological information and products for building adaptive capacity of small farmers to climate variability and change Mama KONATE Director General, National Meteorological Service - UNFCCC 1 Focal Point

DROUGHTS OF EARLY SEVENTIES IN SAHEL REGION AFFECTED SERIOUSLY COUNTRIES A LOT OF DAMAGES WERE CAUSED TO AGRICULTURE, LIVESTOCK AND EVEN HUMAN BEINGS. TWO MAIN ACTIONS WERE TAKEN : - AN INTER STATE COMMITTEE TO COMBAT DROUGHT IN SAHEL (CILSS) WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1974 BY A MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ; -IN THE REGION IN 1975, AGRHYMET REGIONAL PROGRAMME WAS LAUNCHED BY UNDP, WMO, FAO AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IN COOPERATION WITH CILSS ; AGRHYMET REGIONAL PROGRAMME IS COMPOSED OF A REGIONAL CENTER IN NIGER AND A NATIONAL 2

THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE PROGRAMME WAS TO STRENGTHEN METEOROLOGICAL AND HYDROLOGICAL SERVICES IN THE REGION BY : - REHABILITATING AND STRENGTHENING SURFACE OBSERVING AND TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORKS. - TRAINING SPECIALIZED STAFF AT THE AGRHYMET REGIONAL CENTER - CREATING / REINFORCING AGROMET AND HYDRO UNITS THIS OBJECTIVE WAS SUCCESSFULLY ACHIEVED IN MALI ENABLING THE NATIONAL MET SERVICE TO UNDERTAKE IN 1981 ACTIVITIES TO DEVELOP AN INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR DECISION MAKERS AND 3

SCHEMATIC REPRESENTATION OF THE INFORMATION SYSTEM MET STATIONS / FARMERS FIELDS CURRENT MET AND CROP DATA ARE COLLECTED MET AND CROP DATA ARE PROCESSED - SYNOPTIC CHARTS - WATER BALANCE RESULTS - MDD PRODUCTS -NDVI DATA - SATELLITE ESTIMATED RAINFALLS - SEASONAL WEATHER FORECASTS MWG MEET EVERY TEN DAYS AND ANALYZE AVAILABLE INFORMATION 4

ISSUANCE OF A TEN – DAY AGROHYDROMET BULLETINS EARLY WARNING COMPONENT AGROMET ADVICE COMPONENT - RAINFALL SPATIAL AND TIME - APPROPRIATE TIME FOR AGRI DISTRIBUTION OVER THE CULTURAL PRACTICES (PLANTING, COUNTRY WEEDING, APPLICATION OF FERTILIZ - HYDROLOGICAL INFO FOR INSECTICIDES, PESTICIDES…. ) MAIN WATERWAYS IN THE COUNTRY (COMPLETED BY DAILY WEATHER FORECASTS, 12 HRS-3 DAYS) - CROPS PESTS AND DISEASES - PASTURES - LIVESTOCK - MET, AGROMET AND HYDRO - NATIONAL RADIO AND TV OUTLOOKS - NATIONAL RADIO AND TV BROADCAST - WRITTEN PRESS, LOCAL RADIOS - OBSERVERS/EXTENSION PEOPLE DISSEMINATION TO DECISION MAKERS 5 DISSEMINATION TO FARMERS

FOR THE AGROMET ADVICE COMPONENT WE PREPARED IN LOCAL LANGUAGES PRACTICAL PLANTING DATE GUIDES THAT CAN BE DIRECTLY USED BY FARMERS. IN THIS REGARD FARMERS ARE TRAINED TO CARRY OUT RAINFALL MEASUREMENTS AND PHENOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS BY USING BROCHURES EDITED IN LOCAL LANGUAGES. A SPECIAL RAINGAUGE THAT FARMERS CAN AFFORD IS MANUFACTURED IN MALI TO FACILITATE THE USE OF THE GUIDE 6

EXAMPLE OF PLANTING DATE GUIDE CROP = SORGHUM LOCATION : KOLOKANI CROP CYCLE LENGTH : 120 DAYS DO NOT PLANT BEFORE 1 JUNE BETWEEN 1 AND 10 JUNE IF THERE IS A CUMULATIVE 10 - DAY RAINFALL OF 40 MM; PLANT BETWEEN 11 AND 20 JUNE IF THERE IS A CUMULATIVE 10 - DAY RAINFALL OF 20 MM; BETWEEN 21 AND 30 JUNE IF THERE IS A CUMULATIVE 10 - DAY RAINFALL OF 10 MM BETWEEN 1 AND 10 JULY EVEN IF DRY, BUT PREFERABLY AFTER RAIN; AFTER THIS PERIOD, IT IS RECOMMANDED TO PLANT 7 A VARIETY WITH A SHORTER CYCLE

CROP CYCLE LENGTH : 90 DAYS DO NOT PLANT BEFORE 11 JUNE BETWEEN 11 AND 20 JUNE IF THERE IS A CUMULATIVE 10 -DAY RAINFALL OF 40 MM; PLANT BETWEEN 21 AND 30 JUNE IF THERE IS A CUMULATIVE 10 - DAY RAINFALL OF 20 MM; BETWEEN 1 AND 10 JULY IF THERE IS A CUMULATIVE 10 - DAY RAINFALL OF 10 MM; BETWEEN 11 AND 20 JULY EVEN IF DRY, BUT PREFERABLY AFTER RAIN; AFTER THIS PERIOD, IT IS RECOMMENDED TO PLANT A VARIETY WITH A SHORTER CYCLE. 8

REFERENCE MET STATION 9

PROFESSIONAL RAINGAUGE 10

SIMPLIFIED RAINGAUGE 11

FARMERS LEARNING HOW TO MEASURE AND REPORT RAINFALL DATA 12

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RESULTS - CONTRIBUTION TO FOOD SECURITY AND ADAPTATION TO C. C ● REDUCTION OF THE PERCENTAGE OF REPLANTING (40% TO 5%) ; ● YIELD INCREASE ≥ 20% ; ● IN 1998 USE OF MET AND AGROMET INFORMATION PREVENTED THE AGRICULTURAL SEASON FROM TOTAL FAILURE ; ● IN JANUARY 2002 FORECAST OF « OUT OF SEASON » RAINS ALLOWED THE NATIONAL COTTON COMPANY TO SAVE MILLIONS OF EUROS ; ●NAT MET SERVICE IS A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR AGRICULTURAL ADVICE , ● THE INFO SYSTEM IS INTEGRATED TO THE AGRICULTURAL ADVICE OPERATIONAL PLAN OF ACTION AND TO THE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM FOR FOOD SECURITY; ● STRENGTHENING OF ADAPTIVE CAPACITY TO COPE WITH CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE ; 15 ● BUILDING OF AWARENESS ON CLIMATE ISSUES ;

RESULTS ( Contd. ) - ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION ● USE OF MET AND AGROMET RESULTED IN REDUCTION OF THE NUMBER OF TREATMENTS BY PESTICIDES AND INSECTICIDES - OTHER ADVANTAGES ● SHARING THE SAME AGROMET INFO CONTRIBUTES TO REDUCE CONFLICTS IN HOUSEHOLDS AND VILLAGES ; ● REDUCTION OF RURAL DEPOPULATION ● REPLICABILITY OF THE SYSTEM IN OTHER COUNTRIES. 16

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PERSPECTIVES -GENERALIZATION OF THE INFO SYSTEM TO THE COUNTRY AS A WHOLE ( FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM LDCF, GEF, … REQUIRED ) ; - INTEGRATION OF THE INDEGENOUS KNOWLEDGE INTO THE SYSTEM – LOCAL COPING STRATEGIES ; - TRANSFER OF THE LOCAL OPERATION OF THE SYSTEM TO DECENTRAL ZED COMMUNITIES. . I WOULD LIKE TO END MY PRESENTATION BY QUOTING A 70 -YEAR OLD FARMER : « WITHOUT CLIMATE INFORMATION A FARMER IS LIKE A MOUSE IN A BOTTLE » That illustrates the level of awareness of rural people on 21 climate issues as in general old rural people are very reluctant

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION 23