32 research outputs found
Transforming climate science into usable services: The effectiveness of co-production in promoting uptake of climate information by smallholder farmers in Senegal
Does the provision of weather and climate information services (WCIS) enhance farmerâs use of forecasts in
informing farm decisions? This paper assesses the effectiveness of the Multi-disciplinary Working Group (MWG)
â a WCIS co-production initiative in Senegal in influencing farmers uptake of weather and climate information
(WCI). WCIS are increasingly gaining importance and widely touted as critical in helping farmers adapt to
climate variability. While there have been various WCIS initiatives producing and translating climate data into
tailored information and knowledge in different parts of the world, there is hardly any rigorous evidence
assessing their effectiveness in improving uptake. In this assessment, we use innovative survey methods and
apply rigorous analytical approaches that control for self-selection bias to establish causal linkages between the
MWG and use of WCIS. Our findings indicate that MWGs are positively associated with farmersâ awareness,
access and uptake of WCI resulting in farm management responses depending on the type of information used.
The presence of MWGs generally increases farmerâs awareness of WCI by 18%, access by 12% and uptake by
10%. Furthermore, use of seasonal forecasts is generally associated with a higher proportion of farmers using
improved seed, fertilizers and manure, but negatively with crop diversification within MWG locations. This
suggests that participatory approaches in the provision of tailored climate information and advisory services can
lead to higher uptake and use among farmers in informing farm management responses for better adaptation to
climate change. We highlight lessons for improved evaluations of WCIS in future
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Evolution of Models to Support Community and Policy Action with Science: Balancing Pastoral Livelihoods and Wildlife Conservation in Savannas of East Africa
We developed a âcontinual engagementâ model to better integrate knowledge from policy makers, communities, and researchers with the goal of promoting more effective action to balance poverty alleviation and wildlife conservation in 4 pastoral ecosystems of East Africa. The model involved the creation of a core boundary-spanning team, including community facilitators, a policy facilitator, and transdisciplinary researchers, responsible for linking with a wide range of actors from local to global scales. Collaborative researcherâfacilitator community teams integrated local and scientific knowledge to help communities and policy makers improve herd quality and health, expand biodiversity payment schemes, develop land-use plans, and fully engage together in pastoral and wildlife policy development. This model focused on the creation of hybrid scientificâlocal knowledge highly relevant to community and policy maker needs. The facilitation team learned to be more effective by focusing on noncontroversial livelihood issues before addressing more difficult wildlife issues, using strategic and periodic engagement with most partners instead of continual engagement, and reducing costs by providing new scientific information only when deemed essential. We conclude by examining the role of facilitation in redressing asymmetries in power in researcherâcommunityâpolicy maker teams, the role of individual values and character in establishing trust, and how to sustain knowledge-action links when project funding ends