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Dissemination and communication of agrometeorological information—global perspectives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2007

M. V. K. Sivakumar
M. V. K. Sivakumar*
Affiliation:
World Meteorological Organization, 7 bis Avenue de la Paix, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland Email: msivakumar@wmo.int
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Abstract

Agrometeorological information and services from the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) are increasingly being demanded by the farming community to cope more efficiently with climate variability and the increasing incidence of extreme meteorological events such as droughts, floods, frosts and wind erosion. While considerable advances have been made in the collection, archiving and analysis of weather and climate data, their transformation into information that can be readily used by the farm sector has lagged behind, especially in developing countries where such information needs are the greatest. One of the important reasons is the lack of adequate interaction with the user community in assessing the appropriate dissemination and communication procedures that can enhance the value of the agrometeorological information and services. A brief review of the present status of dissemination and communication of agrometeorological information by the NMHSs and associated agencies in different regions around the world is presented. A description of the user communities for agrometeorological information and their varying needs is also presented. Opportunities and challenges in the dissemination and communication of agrometeorological information by the NMHSs are described with suitable examples which emphasize that continued improvements are necessary to make agrometeorological information more accessible and useful to the user community.

Keywords

agrometeorological information and servicesstatus in different regions
Type
Research Article
Information
Meteorological Applications , Volume 13 , Issue S1 , December 2006 , pp. 21 - 30
Copyright
Royal Meteorological Society

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