African countries collectively have emitted very little of the greenhouse gases that have caused climate change, but are badly affected by climate-induced floods, droughts and heatwaves. To withstand some of the most devastating extreme weather events, African countries need to adapt fast. Setting up advanced climate information services that predict climate disasters ahead of time is critical. Environmental sciences lecturer Fredrick Kayusi was part of a group of researchers who investigated where climate information systems are falling short and what can be done to remedy the problem.
What are climate information services? Why are they so important?
Climate information services are anchored in weather services. A weather service provides a complete and daily weather description of a specific region. But a climate information service uses this weather data to determine whether it is likely that an extreme weather event (such as floods, drought or heatwaves) will occur in future.
In a nutshell, a climate information service releases data about the changing climate. This helps people and governments plan for the future. It is designed to help people who are affected by climate change - such as farmers - to manage the risks and adapt before extreme weather strikes them.
Climate information services include forecasts of the climate for the season ahead and early warning systems.
They also include climate risk assessments, which predict what could happen to a community if a climate disaster strikes, and advisory services. Agricultural advisory services, for example, give farmers information they need to plan around the changing climate.
Ideally, climate information services can generate information for different groups of people who are affected by climate change differently.
Advances in satellite technology, telecommunications and climatology have made real-time, location-specific climate information a reality. African community-based climate information services are growing in importance as Earth gets hotter and more climate disasters strike.
Do climate information services operate in Africa?
Our research looked at whether climate information services were available in north-west Ethiopia, Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and Malawi, and how they were being used.
To do this we reviewed all scholarly papers and government reports published between 2020 and 2023 on the development, challenges and successes of climate information systems in those countries.
We also interviewed 50 government officials, policymakers, farmers, climate experts, and representatives from non-governmental and private sector organisations.
We asked them about their understanding of the role of climate information systems in making Africa more resilient to climate change.
We found that climate information services were not functioning very well.
What's wrong with climate information services currently?
The people we interviewed and documents we studied identified several problems. The first is that climate information services have become top-down early warning systems. These do not always provide the information people need in a specific place. If the information is not useful, people won't use climate information services.
The second is that poor telecommunications networks and a lack of electricity mean that only 45% of rural farmers have reliable access to climate information. Low literacy levels mean they struggle to interpret and apply the information provided. These barriers collectively leave some farmers without access to these services, and vulnerable to climate change.
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The third problem is that women farmers have less access to climate information services even though they are key agricultural producers. We found that they were often left out of the information loop due to societal norms, limited access to education, and economic constraints.
What needs to be done?
Our research found that farmers need to receive climate information on their phones. This allows them to take immediate steps to reduce their exposure. Climate information also allows farmers to promote climate-smart agriculture (where farmers change their practices to adapt to the changing climate, such as includes combining intercropping, mulching and zero tillage and practicing agroforestry - where trees and bushes are planted with crops).
Being able to reduce their exposure to extreme weather enhances both household income and regional food security.
To do this, people working with and affected by climate change - such as climate scientists, small scale farmers, fisheries and sports personnel - must be involved in identifying what kind of climate information is most useful.
Each group has its own useful knowledge of how to cope with the changing climate. This knowledge needs to be harnessed, and sent out through climate information services. It will enable communities to adapt to global warming as autonomously as possible. Local knowledge can also help others.
Governments must make strategic investments in infrastructure, capacity development, and information dissemination. For example, internet access in isolated regions needs to be improved. Local professionals must be educated in climate science.
Public-private partnerships are also essential for scaling up the delivery of climate information services. Private sector involvement can drive innovation and make climate information user-friendly, particularly for those with limited literacy or technical skills.
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Read more: Kenya is badly prepared for floods: four steps to reduce devastation and deaths
African governments should work together and prioritise these investments. Climate information services must reach all corners of the continent.
Governments must improve their climate information services, and advertise these widely, including on radio. Education programmes must be delivered in rural areas. These programmes should be designed to be inclusive. They must take into account the specific needs and challenges faced by women and other marginalised groups.
Policies and programmes must be designed to ensure that women have equal access to climate information.
Our research found that climate information services are indispensable in bolstering Africa's resilience to climate change. This is especially the case in the agricultural sector, which is the backbone of many African economies.
Climate information services can become a more effective tool for climate adaptation if they empower communities with the knowledge and skills to use them.
Fredrick Kayusi, Lecturer, Pwani University
