Early warning systems help small-scale farmers prepare for climate change

Climate change is making extreme weather events more intense and frequent.  Warning systems that are accurate, easy to use and provide the right climate information help limit loss of life and livelihoods.

With advance warning, small-scale farmers get precious time to store produce and animals safely, and to prepare for disaster. Even when some damage is unavoidable, it can make it easier to recover.

Yet only half of the least-developed countries and 39 per cent of small island developing states have multi-hazard early warning systems in place. Ironically, this is where they're needed most, at the frontlines of climate change.

A recipe for success

IFAD is changing this by providing rural people with access to timely and accurate climate information – and empowering them to weather the coming storm.

Over the years, we have learned that:

• Effective climate information systems depend on stakeholders – from scientists to policymakers to rural extension workers. Everyone must share data and develop understandable advisories tailored to rural people.
• Farmers and communities, including women and youth, must be involved in designing and producing climate information systems that work for them.
• Training is essential to produce, understand, convey and use data effectively.

Success stories from around the world show how we are putting these learnings to use, so that farmers and herders can benefit from early warning systems.

Climate-smart agriculture in Rwanda

For several years, Grace Mukamana struggled to grow maize, beans and coffee in eastern Rwanda as increasingly erratic weather kept devastating her harvests.

So when the IFAD-supported PASP project introduced climate services to her village, she jumped at the chance to take part.

Grace was trained on interpreting historic weather trends and combining scientific knowledge with her own experience to choose the right seeds, prepare for storage and processing needs, and invest in crop insurance. She gets regular weather updates via SMS so she can make the right decisions for her farm.

Since joining the programme, Grace has seen her life transformed. With her farming yields doubled, she's able to feed her family and send her children to school.

Climate change adaptation in Viet Nam

In Viet Nam’s Mekong Delta, the legendary emerald-green rice fields are increasingly threatened by rising sea levels, which are mixing saltwater into freshwater sources.

But with a simple swipe on a smartphone screen, rice farmers like Le Hoang Ro can get reliable, localised data on salinity levels thanks to a network of monitoring buoys – and take action.

Mr Le, a participant of the IFAD-supported AMD project, explains, “When I know the water salinity level is high, I store water in my pond and then close the culvert to prevent saltwater from entering my farm.”

Early warning systems in Kyrgyzstan

In the valleys and high mountains of Kyrgyzstan, herders use a climate information system developed with support from LMDP-II to get early warning of weather hazards, like hail or heavy snow.

Since 2019, warnings for 11 hazards and the recommended responses were issued ten days in advance through a website.

Karybek Karabaev is the head of a local community group managing the delicate ecosystems on which herders depend. He and his colleagues know how to assess the risks and telephone herders to help them plan their grazing paths. This way, even pastoralists in the most remote regions get ample warning of severe weather.

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Early warnings – and the knowledge and ability to act on them – can make the difference between devastated livelihoods and resilience. With IFAD’s support, rural people around the world are gaining the tools and knowledge they need to weather the storm.

Read more in IFAD’s study on Climate Information Services.

Publication date: 04 January 2024