Economic Value of Climate Forecasts for Agricultural Systems in Africa

TLDR: A thorough review of the advances made so far in seasonal climate predictions and their applications for management and decision-making in agriculture can be found in this paper, where the authors identify the challenges to be addressed in the next 5 to 10 years, especially in developing countries.

Abstract: A thorough review of the advances made so far in seasonal climate predictions and their applications for management and decision-making in agriculture.A practical tool for decision-makers, this book identifies the challenges to be addressed in the next 5 to 10 years, especially in developing countries.In an age of such uncertainty over climate change, there are few more important issues than that of how we feed ourselves.We need to know more about the potential impact of climate uncertainty on our food supplies – and this book is an important addition to the literature in this field.Improved adaptation of food production, particularly in areas where climate variability is large, holds the key to improving food security for human populations.Increasing climate knowledge and improved prediction capabilities facilitate the development of relevant climate information and prediction products for applications in agriculture. This in turn reduces the negative impacts due to climate variations and enhances planning activities based on the developing capacity of climate science.This book, based on an International Workshop held in Geneva in 2005, reviews the advances made so far in seasonal climate predictions and their applications for management and decision-making in agriculture.It also identifies the challenges to be addressed in the next 5 to 10 years to further enhance operational applications of climate predictions in agriculture.