Istiqlal Amien, a senior scientist with the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture's Centre for Soil and Agroclimate Research, is a visiting expert working with the Agrometeorology Group in FAO's Sustainable Development Department's Environment and Natural Resources Service. He has been carrying out research into the current state of national agrometeorological services worldwide and collaborating with colleagues to draw up a set of recommendations that could act as a framework for improving these services. All of this work is being done in preparation for a joint FAO/World Meteorological Organization international conference to be held some time in 2004 in Southeast Asia on strengthening national agrometeorological services. Mr Amien recounts his experiences: "I'm very pleased to contribute to the Agrometeorology Group's efforts to improve agrometeorological services worldwide. Currently, less than 10 percent of the national meteorological services are managed by the Ministry of Agriculture. National meteorological agencies tend to be strong on collecting data and keeping very good historical records. But many of them don't have the capacity to analyse these data and transform them into information so that it contributes to agricultural growth and sustainable rural development. This certainly requires other inputs from many different ministries, but especially the agricultural and environmental ministries, therefore close cooperation is imperative. But we must keep in mind that information and analysis alone are not enough. We want to suggest ways of bridging the gap that often exists between agrometeorological research and extension work. An ideal agrometeorological service would both communicate useful information to farmers and give them the support they need to make sound decisions based on this information. "This assignment has given me another chance to make a contribution to my field at an international level. I have worked before with the Organization to provide agrometerological training in Bangladesh and have wide experience in other countries of Southeast Asia. In Indonesia, I have spent years working to make agrometeorological information accessible to farmers and extension workers. For example, in 1986 I created a simple software program that helps users select suitable crops and appropriate cropping patterns by inputting data from a limited set of variables relating to local soil conditions and rainfall data. This program has been used for years by the extension services and the Indonesian Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology. "I'm convinced that the work FAO's Agrometeorology Group is doing to strengthen national agrometeorological services can make an important contribution to food security. In agriculture, timing is everything. Production is cyclical and determined in large part by local weather patterns. With better information on climate and agriculture, farmers can make better decisions about what to plant, when to sow and when to harvest. The result is not just bigger yields for farmers but a more efficient food distribution system for everyone. "For example in my country, Indonesia, which straddles the equator and is made up of many large islands, the same crop may be harvested at different times. This means that demand for produce shifts from one area to another over the course of the year. Improved agrometeorological services can assist farmers and food distributors anticipate these trends in supply and demand and ensure that markets are supplied with fresh produce. This reduces post-harvest losses and storage costs and provides quicker returns for farmers and cheaper prices for consumers. "FAO can't force member countries to strengthen their agrometeorological services. The Organization must demonstrate that improving these services makes economic sense and gives policy-makers practical ideas for improving these services within limited budgets. I think my work as a visiting expert has contributed to this effort. "I have benefited tremendously from my experience at FAO. I've been able to focus my energies on important research without any distractions. I've become better acquainted with how other countries are coordinating their meteorological and agricultural services and what innovations are being made in the field. My close collaboration with the FAO has also broadened my understanding of the current work being done in this area. I'm looking forward to incorporating these new ideas into my work in Indonesia and to maintaining close contact with my friends in the Agrometeorology Group."