Climate Exchange

griculture

(KMD) have agreed as the most appropriate or feasible for adapting

to the upcoming seasonal climate/rainfall patterns derived from the

seasonal forecast. The information is disseminated in meetings that

bring together the team of experts and the farmers. In all the locations,

farmers showed keen interest in receiving and using the advisory on a

regular basis. The experts also undertake field visits during the rainfall

season to assess the performance of crops and provide any additional

advice to the farmers.

During the pilot period, farmers were able to tailor crop

management to expected seasonal climate conditions. Farm level

investments could be restricted during predicted bad years, and

expanded when good rainfall – and thus good returns to crop

investments – is forecast. In practice, it was observed that a broad

indication (season likely to be good, average, poor) is sufficient for

making good decisions, especially in smallholder agriculture.

A survey conducted to evaluate the usefulness of the advisories

showed that most farmers considered the advisories as extremely

useful in planning their farm operations, an observation well

supported by a willingness of 87 per cent of the farmers interviewed

to pay for the service if required.

The pilot research with weather-based agro-advisories has estab-

lished that farmers can derive significant benefits from the use of

climate information, if it is interpreted for location-specific needs and

presented in a format they can easily understand. The challenge is to

develop location-specific advisories quickly, efficiently

and cost-effectively; and deploy them in time without

any delay so farmers and their support agents can make

the best use of them to mitigate or take advantage of vari-

able climate ahead of the season.

Mainstreaming climate information – Isiolo County

The Ministry of State for Development of Northern

Kenya and other Arid Lands and the Ministry of State

for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030,

with support from the International Institute for

Environment and Development (IIED) and other part-

ners in Kenya, designed approaches that strengthen

institutional capacity for climate adaptation in Kenya’s

arid lands that can be taken to a larger scale in a subse-

quent phase. These approaches are being tested through

an action research project in Isiolo County, which will

maximize opportunities for the pastoral community.

IIED is a policy research institute based in the UK. It

is globally recognized for both its work on dry lands and

climate change research, capacity-building and policy

advocacy, and its participatory approaches.

KMD was brought on board in the project after

the first workshop in May 2010 where, the pastoral

communities in Isiolo identified climate change as the

main problem affecting their activities.

It emerged that when all these activities are planned

well in advance, the impacts of droughts on the commu-

nity are minimized compared to when they are caught

unawares. It became important that KMD should be

incorporated in the project to directly provide climate

forecasts to these pastoralists and support other govern-

ment departments to plan well. The project is still in

its formulation stage, but as its implementers meet the

community, one member of KMD personnel is always

there to sensitize them to the benefits of climate infor-

mation and seasonal weather forecast and advise on

expected rainfall patterns and potential impacts. Three

such sessions have so far been held.

Weather briefing sessions

In July 2011, the first advisory was delivered to pasto-

ralists based on the June-July-August 2011 seasonal

Isiolo County: community activities in response to

drought

•

Scouting by groups to collect information

•

Preparation of pasture areas and rehabilitation of

shallow wells

•

Security surveillance

•

Preparations of machines (water pumps, generators)

•

Estimation of pasture quantity and quality

•

Planning for water management

•

Negotiations with elders in other communities for pasture

•

Resource mobilization – financial

•

Intensive planning for migration (beasts of burden,

stopovers, women and children, mapping the route)

•

Migration to pasture areas within and outside the county

(Laikipia, Samburu, Meru, Wajir, Marsabit, Garissa,

Mandera).

The March-April-May 2012 forecast briefing in Gafarsa, Garbatula

The March-April-May 2012 forecast briefing at Merti

Image: KMD

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