Identifying user needs for weather and climate services to enhance resilience to climate shocks in sub-Saharan Africa

Elias Nkiaka; Andrea Taylor; Andrew J. Dougill; Philip Antwi-Agyei; Nicolas Fournier; Emily Nyaboke Bosire; Oumar Konte; Kamoru Abiodun Lawal; Bethwel Mutai; Emma Mwangi; Helen Ticehurst; Awa Toure; Tanya Warnaars

doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ab4dfe

Identifying user needs for weather and climate services to enhance resilience to climate shocks in sub-Saharan Africa

Elias Nkiaka, Andrea Taylor, Andrew J. Dougill, Philip Antwi-Agyei, Nicolas Fournier, Emily Nyaboke Bosire, Oumar Konte, Kamoru Abiodun Lawal, Bethwel Mutai, Emma Mwangi, Helen Ticehurst, Awa Toure, Tanya Warnaars

Environment and Geography

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

Abstract

The vulnerability of social-ecological systems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to climate variability and change means that there is an urgent need to better integrate weather and climate information into societal decision-making processes. Long-term climate adaptation in these regions has received increasing attention, with recent initiatives aiming to increase resilience to climate change at timescales of years to decades. Less focus has been given to weather and short-term climate information. However, users are principally interested in shorter timescales (hours to seasons) where actions can immediately reduce the impacts of severe weather events. Focusing on the priority sectors of agriculture and food security, water and disaster management, this paper uses a systematic literature review approach to analyse 61 empirical case studies drawn from academic literature and projects across SSA. We identify the main users of climate services and outline current practices and reported benefits. Barriers that impede the delivery and uptake of climate services are identified and potential strategies for overcoming them outlined based on the reporting of successful practices. Our findings show that greater capacity building of personnel working for National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and Agricultural Extension staff and reinforcing and sustaining collaboration between different stakeholders (climate scientists, hydrologists, extension workers, farmers and other user groups), are essential factors for improving the uptake and utility of weather and climate services to enhance resilience to climate shocks in SSA.

Original language	English
Article number	123003
Number of pages	13
Journal	Environmental Research Letters
Volume	14
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab4dfe
Publication status	Published - 19 Nov 2019

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Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.

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Nkiaka, E., Taylor, A., Dougill, A. J., Antwi-Agyei, P., Fournier, N., Bosire, E. N., Konte, O., Lawal, K. A., Mutai, B., Mwangi, E., Ticehurst, H., Toure, A., & Warnaars, T. (2019). Identifying user needs for weather and climate services to enhance resilience to climate shocks in sub-Saharan Africa. Environmental Research Letters, 14(12), Article 123003. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab4dfe

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title = "Identifying user needs for weather and climate services to enhance resilience to climate shocks in sub-Saharan Africa",

abstract = "The vulnerability of social-ecological systems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to climate variability and change means that there is an urgent need to better integrate weather and climate information into societal decision-making processes. Long-term climate adaptation in these regions has received increasing attention, with recent initiatives aiming to increase resilience to climate change at timescales of years to decades. Less focus has been given to weather and short-term climate information. However, users are principally interested in shorter timescales (hours to seasons) where actions can immediately reduce the impacts of severe weather events. Focusing on the priority sectors of agriculture and food security, water and disaster management, this paper uses a systematic literature review approach to analyse 61 empirical case studies drawn from academic literature and projects across SSA. We identify the main users of climate services and outline current practices and reported benefits. Barriers that impede the delivery and uptake of climate services are identified and potential strategies for overcoming them outlined based on the reporting of successful practices. Our findings show that greater capacity building of personnel working for National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and Agricultural Extension staff and reinforcing and sustaining collaboration between different stakeholders (climate scientists, hydrologists, extension workers, farmers and other user groups), are essential factors for improving the uptake and utility of weather and climate services to enhance resilience to climate shocks in SSA.",

author = "Elias Nkiaka and Andrea Taylor and Dougill, {Andrew J.} and Philip Antwi-Agyei and Nicolas Fournier and Bosire, {Emily Nyaboke} and Oumar Konte and Lawal, {Kamoru Abiodun} and Bethwel Mutai and Emma Mwangi and Helen Ticehurst and Awa Toure and Tanya Warnaars",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2019 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.",

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doi = "10.1088/1748-9326/ab4dfe",

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Nkiaka, E, Taylor, A, Dougill, AJ, Antwi-Agyei, P, Fournier, N, Bosire, EN, Konte, O, Lawal, KA, Mutai, B, Mwangi, E, Ticehurst, H, Toure, A & Warnaars, T 2019, 'Identifying user needs for weather and climate services to enhance resilience to climate shocks in sub-Saharan Africa', Environmental Research Letters, vol. 14, no. 12, 123003. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab4dfe

TY - JOUR

T1 - Identifying user needs for weather and climate services to enhance resilience to climate shocks in sub-Saharan Africa

AU - Nkiaka, Elias

AU - Taylor, Andrea

AU - Dougill, Andrew J.

AU - Antwi-Agyei, Philip

AU - Fournier, Nicolas

AU - Bosire, Emily Nyaboke

AU - Konte, Oumar

AU - Lawal, Kamoru Abiodun

AU - Mutai, Bethwel

AU - Mwangi, Emma

AU - Ticehurst, Helen

AU - Toure, Awa

AU - Warnaars, Tanya

PY - 2019/11/19

Y1 - 2019/11/19

N2 - The vulnerability of social-ecological systems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to climate variability and change means that there is an urgent need to better integrate weather and climate information into societal decision-making processes. Long-term climate adaptation in these regions has received increasing attention, with recent initiatives aiming to increase resilience to climate change at timescales of years to decades. Less focus has been given to weather and short-term climate information. However, users are principally interested in shorter timescales (hours to seasons) where actions can immediately reduce the impacts of severe weather events. Focusing on the priority sectors of agriculture and food security, water and disaster management, this paper uses a systematic literature review approach to analyse 61 empirical case studies drawn from academic literature and projects across SSA. We identify the main users of climate services and outline current practices and reported benefits. Barriers that impede the delivery and uptake of climate services are identified and potential strategies for overcoming them outlined based on the reporting of successful practices. Our findings show that greater capacity building of personnel working for National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and Agricultural Extension staff and reinforcing and sustaining collaboration between different stakeholders (climate scientists, hydrologists, extension workers, farmers and other user groups), are essential factors for improving the uptake and utility of weather and climate services to enhance resilience to climate shocks in SSA.

AB - The vulnerability of social-ecological systems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to climate variability and change means that there is an urgent need to better integrate weather and climate information into societal decision-making processes. Long-term climate adaptation in these regions has received increasing attention, with recent initiatives aiming to increase resilience to climate change at timescales of years to decades. Less focus has been given to weather and short-term climate information. However, users are principally interested in shorter timescales (hours to seasons) where actions can immediately reduce the impacts of severe weather events. Focusing on the priority sectors of agriculture and food security, water and disaster management, this paper uses a systematic literature review approach to analyse 61 empirical case studies drawn from academic literature and projects across SSA. We identify the main users of climate services and outline current practices and reported benefits. Barriers that impede the delivery and uptake of climate services are identified and potential strategies for overcoming them outlined based on the reporting of successful practices. Our findings show that greater capacity building of personnel working for National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and Agricultural Extension staff and reinforcing and sustaining collaboration between different stakeholders (climate scientists, hydrologists, extension workers, farmers and other user groups), are essential factors for improving the uptake and utility of weather and climate services to enhance resilience to climate shocks in SSA.

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U2 - 10.1088/1748-9326/ab4dfe

DO - 10.1088/1748-9326/ab4dfe

M3 - Review article

AN - SCOPUS:85081669845

SN - 1748-9318

VL - 14

JO - Environmental Research Letters

JF - Environmental Research Letters

IS - 12

M1 - 123003

ER -

Identifying user needs for weather and climate services to enhance resilience to climate shocks in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

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