By Arame Tall and Caity Peterson
Smallholder farmers are an extraordinarily adaptive bunch. They are well aware of changes occurring in their environment and usually take quick steps to accommodate them, or even benefit from them if they can. However, the increasing unpredictability of climate patterns and the rapid pace of change are becoming overwhelming; traditional knowledge and coping mechanisms often can’t keep up.
To support farmers’ decision-making processes in the face of such uncertainty, CCAFS is looking into the effectiveness of delivering climate information and advisory services through radio, public media and other communication channels using the example of successful initiatives in India and Mali.
Caity Peterson is a visiting researcher and science writer based at the Center for International Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Cali, Colombia. Arame Tall is a climate-service scientist for the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).