GovClim

Better coordinated, timely and efficient climate services are considered critical for helping rural societies worldwide to prevent economic losses and humanitarian disasters that may result from weather and climate extremes and long term change (GoIMoES 2014, IPCC 2012 and 2014, Vedeld et al. 2014). GovClim focuses on the analysis of two key challenges to the governance of climate services in Maharashtra/India and elsewhere (GOI-MoES 2014);

1. the coordination between multiple state and non-state actors; and,
2. the translation and transfer challenge of climate knowledge to local users.

Climate and agro-met services in India

The districts of Pune and Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, India were selected for this study as the area is subject to major climate and extreme weather risks and related agricultural challenges, e.g., drought, hail storms, floods, heat, and pests. Furthermore, Maharashtra has a long history of developing advanced drought and climate risk response systems, reflecting an important farm sector which is mainly rainfed.

Key public and private agro-met service providers are present in the state disseminating weather forecast information and agro-met advices, and some providers, also disseminate market information. The mandate is to support farmers, agriculturists, planners and other users in agricultural decision making and practices by providing advanced information

Four main providers of agriculture-relevant information services were present in the study area:

1. IMD GKMS (public, New Delhi, India),
2. IFFCO Kisan (public-private, New Delhi, India),
3. RML Agtech Pvt Ltd (private, Mumbai, India), and
4. Watershed Organization Trust (WOTR) (non-profit, Pune, India).

Five work packages are identified in the project

 

>> For more information about the project, visit the project website.

Ingrid Nesheim at Section for Water and Society, NIVA, leads work package 4; Adoption/uptake and adaptation action by small and large farmers (Lead: NIVA; co-lead TERI with input from NIBR, UiO).

This work package focuses on various aspects related to the access to climate information by different types of farmers, including studying the interface between service providers (i.e. the agricultural advisories) and end-users (farmers), and the degree that climate knowledge is translated into practical action by farmers.