FAO supports a climate-smart agriculture (CSA) approach to manage cropland, livestock, forests and fisheries, addressing the challenges of food security and climate change. Agrometeorology, the study of weather and the use of weather and climate information can enhance this approach, through improved irrigation technologies, the use of renewable energy and much more.

Sharing their expertise FAO trained over forty participants, including PhD students, university professors, researchers from national and international agencies and agro-hydrometeorological services in using climate iservices and demonstrated through practical sessions how climate knowledge and tools can enhance climate action on the ground.

The sessions were part of a course on ‘Agricultural meteorology for  climate-smart agriculture’ organized last month, by the Italian Association of Agrometeorology (AIAM)*and the World Meteorological Organization - Regional Training Center (WMO-RTC).  The aim of the course was to promote risk management instruments and tools that contribute to reducing the impacts of drought and other hazards on agriculture-based livelihoods and food systems.

“Farmers throughout the developing world are seeing the benefits of using climate-smart agricultural techniques, but a greater understanding of agricultural meteorology, the relationship of weather and climate to crop and livestock production and soil management is making CSA truly climate-smart,”

said Federica Matteoli, a natural resources officer leading FAO’s work on Climate-Smart Agriculture and a session introducing the course. She emphasised the importance of strengthening national and local institutional capacities to provide climate services, explaining that climate services are a part of agrometeorology and enable farmers to make informed decisions, manage risk, take advantage of favourable climate conditions, and adapt to change.

FAO Land and Water Officer, Patricia Mejias Moreno and Climate Risks and Agrometeorology Specialist Jorge Alvar-Beltrán presented AquaCrop, a crop growth model developed by FAO to address food security and assess the effect of the environment and management on crop production. The tool simulates the yield response of herbaceous crops to water and is particularly useful in conditions with limited water supplies.

FAO Natural Resources Officer, Oscar Rojas introduced Agriculture Stress Index System (ASIS), an innovative agricultural drought monitoring and early warning system based on remote sensing and artificial intelligence  that detects areas subjected to water stress that threaten crop yields. 

The sessions were an opportunity for the representatives of different organizations to exchange ideas and build connections. It was the first year of an annual course that took place from 8 to 19 March 2021. It was supported by the National Research Council (CNR), Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Rete Rurale Nazionale (RRN), Italian Ministry for Environment, Land and Sea Protection, European Space Agency (ESA), Foundation for Climate and Sustainability (FCS), Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (GACSA), The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, University of Florence (DAGRI), and the University of Zurich (CCRS).

*AIAM is an Italian Organization, founded in 1997. It is made up of over 100 researchers and specialists using scientific research and to support the well-being of agricultural and forest ecosystems.