BUILDING ADAPTIVE CAPACITY OF SMALL FARMERS TO CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND CHANGE IN WEST AFRICA

1. DIRECTION NATIONALE DE LA METEOROLOGIE BUILDING ADAPTIVE CAPACITY OF SMALL FARMERS TO CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND CHANGE IN WEST AFRICA Daouda Zan DIARRA, Chef de la Division Agrométéorologie, Direction Nationale de la Météorologie MALI

2. Content Drought in seventies in Sahel and climate change The roving seminars for farmers on weather, climate and agriculture in West Africa

3. DROUGHTS OF EARLY SEVENTIES IN SAHEL REGION AND CLIMATE CHANGE • 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 the Sahel (CILSS) was established in 1974 by a Ministerial Conference ; • In 1975, AGRHYMET Regional Program was launched by UNDP, WMO, FAO AND the international Community in co-operation with CILSS ; • AGRHYMET Regional Program is composed of a regional center and a national component in each of the 9 countries.

4. TEST TEMOIN Atelier de sensibilsation sur les changements climatiques

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

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

7. 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; 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; PLANT AFTER THIS PERIOD, IT IS RECOMMENDED TO PLANT A VARIETY WITH A SHORTER CYCLE. 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.

8. 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; 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; PLANT AFTER THIS PERIOD, IT IS RECOMMANDED TO PLANT A VARIETY WITH A SHORTER CYCLE A SPECIAL RAINGAUGE THAT FARMERS CAN AFFORD IS MANUFACTURED IN MALI TO FACILITATE THE USE OF THE GUIDE

9. 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 US $ ; ● 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 ; ● BUILDING OF AWARENESS ON CLIMATE ISSUES ; ● TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGIES TO RURAL PEOPLE ; ● PROMOTION OF INTEGRATION OF CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE TO DEVELOPMENT PROCESS .

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

11. AVERAGE YIELDS FOR CEREAL CROPS (Kg/ha) IN 2003 KAYES REGION

12. 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 DECENTRALI ZED COMMUNITIES . • .

13. ROVING SEMINARS FOR FARMERS ON WEATHER, CLIMATE AND AGRICULTURES IN WEST AFRICA

14. CONTEXT • Workshop of the Directors of the NMHSs of the CILSS and Guinea held in Bamako in January 2006; • the recommendations of the Conference of the Directors of NMHSs of North and West Africa held in Las Palmas(Spain) in December 2007; • The agrometeo experts workshop held in Niamey in April 2008

15. OBJECTIVES OF THE ROVING SEMINARS • After having take stock of the results of the agromet assistance to agriculture in Mali, the basic question was : • HOW TO REPLICATE IN OTHER COUNTRIES? • Then came the idea of the roving seminars which consist in: • gathering farmers in a given area; • informing and sensitizing them on the effects of weather, climate variability and change on the agricultural production; • forming a core of selected farmers trained for the data collection activities; • providing raingauges to the trained farmers.

16. Organisation of the roving seminars in Mali: • provide manual handbooks and notebooks to the observer farmers; • to select farmers who will be in charge of data collection activities; • Send letters to the regional and local agricultural Services and inform their managers about the organization of the seminars; • Prepare training material(specific illustrated presentations were elaborated in French and local languages ).

17. Acquisition and provision of Raingauges 200 raingauges for each country

18. The Focal Points exchange workshop The Focal Points of the roving seminars for farmers had an exchange workshop that was held at Bamako on September 9, 2008 in the conference room of the National Directorate of Meteorology. The representatives of the World Meteorological Organization (OMM) and the Spanish Agency of State of Meteorology (AEMET) took part in this meeting, in addition to the focal points of the five countries. The workshop was followed by the first roving seminar convened at Koulikoro (Mali). • EXPECTED RESULTS • Training methodologies of the rural community improved; • Procedure of preparation of the guide for planting dates harmonized; • Harmonization of the system of holding the meetings with the rural community and of the training pedagogy of the observer farmers.

19. After the focal points exchange workshop, every National Met Service in collaboration with the agricultural services organized about ten roving seminars. The local languages were used for these seminars. At the end of the seminars, 20 farmers (men and women) were selected and trained on rainfall measurement and phenological observations. One raingauge was given to every trained farmer in order to reinforce the climate data collection network.

20. REPORTS • The reporst prepared after the roving seminars summarize as follows: • farmers were very enthusiastic during the seminar; • their awareness was raised on the phenomenon of climate change, its related risks and its consequences on the rural activities; • some difficulties in gathering a rather high number of farmers; • funding provided is insufficient for gather the adequate number of farmers for the sessions; • the insufficiency of the time allocated for the training on rainfall measurement and phenological observations; • the insufficient number of trained farmers and extension agents; • the limited number of farmers having traditional knowledge related to weather and climate.

21. Topics presented during the roving seminars: • weather forecasts : different types; • climate of the country : its evolution, climate variability and change, their causes and impacts on agricultural production; • Presentation of the raingauge . How to measure rainfall and fill the rainfall forms in local langage?; • How to carry out phenological observations?

22. CONCLUSION/RECOMMANADATIONS At the end of the implementation of the roving seminars for farmers in the targeted locations, there was a general feeling of satisfaction.

23. PERSPECTIVES • the dialogue between the technical services and the rural community on weather, climate and their impacts on the rural activities should be systematized; • a more adapted methodology for the realization of these seminars should be set up; • media people should be involved; • the program should go beyond the roving seminars and include a systematic weather, climate and crop monitoring component in West Africa; • To carry out surveys on the traditional knowledge and how it can complement the information system.

24. Our contact is DIRECTION NATIONALE DE LA METEOROLOGIE BP : 237 Bamako MALI Tél. : 00 (223)20 20 62 04 Fax : 00 (223) 20 20 21 10 dnm@afribone.net .ml