Climate Exchange

provide the integration necessary for complex outputs – which is

often where the decisions exist.

What next?

The project’s goals are to ensure continued improvement to the

provision of yield and other outputs which involve climate forecast

systems as opposed to mere ‘outputs’. This means there is a need for

awareness of breakthroughs and developments in seasonal forecast

systems (especially coupled models) and that these must be created

in such a way as to allow integration into decision systems.

The research programme and operational outputs described here

could easily be scaled up for application in any region where sugar,

or other crops, is grown.

The project’s main challenges are:

• The need for continued funding – it is easy to lose ongoing

funding with the result that the same industry unnecessarily

suffers from the same impacts for a number of years

• The need for closer interaction with key industry sectors (not

necessarily the ones first thought of such as farmers, but to

address issues across the entire value chain in production)

• Keeping all relevant agencies ‘on side’ as it may not necessarily

be the local agency that has the best research capacity in

integrated climate systems research and development.

This project satisfies the principles of the Global Framework

for Climate Services. All countries could easily benefit from the

approach and the model outlined here can be applied for all coun-

tries, although aspects related to the value of climate systems to

marketing and trade would need further evaluation for certain coun-

[

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griculture

Source: QSL, USQ, JCU

Source: USQ/JCU

A climate forecasting fact sheet provided to QSL for the use of

millers, farmers and other general users of the information that

will be provided both during the course of the research and

development stage and when the process becomes operational

Sugar farmer Darren describes his decision-making in

his own words, in early winter 2009, after attending a

‘Managing for Climate’ workshop in Mackay, Queensland,

Australia:

“Climate pattern in transitional stage so I keep a watchful

eye on the climate updates.”

“I take special interest in the sea surface temperatures

(SST) particularly in the Niño 3 region.”

“There is currently some indication of warming in the

Niño 3 region which hints at a possible El Niño pattern

developing.”

“Replant would be kept to a minimum.”

“Harvest drier areas earlier, even if commercial cane sugar

may be affected.”

“We don’t run the farm based solely on climate information

and forecasts, it’s just another tool to consider when

making decisions.”

Darren’s decision-making concerns use of seasonal climate

forecasting information in sugar cane harvesting and

replanting. Note the detail of understanding and ownership

of climate information and forecasting this farmer has

gained through involvement in participatory research and

focused workshop activity.

tries. The programme addresses all three geographic

domains identified in the principles: local farmers and

mills, regional production issues, and global trading

and marketing issues. Operational climate services are

the core element of the project – but there is a need to

recognize the importance of the capability of the under-

lying system to be integrated into other systems such as

agricultural models.

A real-world farmer example