Transforming climate science into usable services: The effectiveness of co-production in promoting uptake of climate information by smallholder farmers in Senegal

Chiputwa, B and Wainaina, P and Nakelse, T and Makui, P and Zougmoré, R B and Ndiaye, O and Minang, P A (2020) Transforming climate science into usable services: The effectiveness of co-production in promoting uptake of climate information by smallholder farmers in Senegal. Climate Services, 20. pp. 1-17. ISSN 2405-8807

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Abstract

Does the provision of weather and climate information services (WCIS) enhance farmer’s use of forecasts in informing farm decisions? This paper assesses the effectiveness of the Multi-disciplinary Working Group (MWG) – 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 farmers’ awareness, access and uptake of WCI resulting in farm management responses depending on the type of information used. The presence of MWGs generally increases farmer’s 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.

Item Type:	Article
Divisions:	Research Program : West & Central Africa
CRP:	CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Weather, Climate, Information services, Co-production, Impact evaluation, Smallholder agriculture, Senegal Africa
Subjects:	Others > Smallholder Agriculture Others > Climate Change
Depositing User:	Mr Arun S
Date Deposited:	30 Mar 2021 05:04
Last Modified:	30 Mar 2021 05:04
URI:	http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/11770
Official URL:	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cliser.2020.100203
Projects:	UNSPECIFIED
Funders:	UNSPECIFIED
Acknowledgement:	Funding: This work was supported by the USAID through grant number USAID Contract No: AID-OAA-A-16-00072 under the Climate Information Services Research Initiative (CISRI), A Learning Agenda for Climate Information Services in sub- Saharan Africa. The evaluation is based on the work implemented as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), which is carried out with support from CGIAR Fund Donors and through bilateral funding agreements.
Links:	Google Scholar

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