http://www.agrometeorology.org Here we publish short accounts on successful operational applications and services in agrometeorology (public (e.g. NMHSs) and private), as well as on action support systems (data, research, policies, extension), that are suitable for further dissemination, or on publications that are holding such accounts. [Discuss items for this section with the President or the Vice-president.] daily 1 2008-09-16T12:37:56Z http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/accounts-of-operational-agrometeorology/effects-of-land-cover-change-on-moisture-availability-and-potential-crop-yield-in-the-world2019s-breadbaskets Effects of land cover change on moisture availability and potential crop yield in the world’s breadbaskets. This article has been downloaded from IOPscience. No publisher admin 2012-01-30T08:45:18Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/accounts-of-operational-agrometeorology/herders-in-drought-stricken-northern-kenya-get-first-livestock-insurance-payments As livestock deaths mount, a small group of herders in Kenya's Marsabit District is first to benefit from program that tracks forage conditions via satellite. No publisher admin 2011-11-03T14:59:51Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/accounts-of-operational-agrometeorology/forest-fires-are-becoming-larger-and-more-frequent Research in which scientists from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) are participating analyzes the causes and characteristics of fires that have occurred in the Mediterranean basin in recent decades, and determines that rural exodus and changes in land use have increased the number and size of these fires. No publisher admin 2011-11-03T14:56:04Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/accounts-of-operational-agrometeorology/validation-of-rainfall-forecast-given-by-aau-monsoon-research-almanac-2011 In year 2011, the daily rainfall predictions were made for 26 districts of Gujarat state. Prepared by V.B. Vaidya, Kedar Damle and Vyas Pandey, Department of Agricultural Meteorology, BACA, AAU, Anand. No publisher admin 2011-10-18T10:51:13Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/accounts-of-operational-agrometeorology/microclimate-management-and-manipulation-aspects-of-applied-agroforestry Microclimate management and manipulation aspects of applied agroforestry. By Kees Stigter, Emmanuel Ofori, Nicholas Kyei-Baffour, and Sue Walker. The Overstory #240 No publisher admin 2011-10-17T12:22:13Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/accounts-of-operational-agrometeorology/agrometeorological-services-in-russia PART II: Agromet information and services. Ministry of Natural Recourses of Russia, Federal Service of Hydro-Meteorology and Environment Monitoring, National Institute of Agricultural Meteorology. No publisher admin 2011-05-20T06:47:51Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/accounts-of-operational-agrometeorology/rainfall-forecast-of-gujarat-for-monsoon-2011-based-on-monsoon-research-almanac M.C. Varshneya, V.B. Vaidya, Vyas Pandey, A.M. Shekh L.D. Chimote, and K.S. Damle, Anand Agricultural University, Anand – 388 110, Gujarat. No publisher admin 2011-05-16T07:08:05Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/accounts-of-operational-agrometeorology/community-participatory-agrometeorological-services Public remarks at the launching of the “Handbook for Community Agrometeorological Participatory Extension Services” at the College of Agriculture, Monze, Zambia, on 14 April 2011, by Prof. Kees Stigter on behalf of INSAM. No publisher admin 2011-04-19T07:44:21Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/accounts-of-operational-agrometeorology/agrometeorological-learning-of-farmers-through-measuring-rainfall-and-observing-fields-and-crops Farmers are known as good observers of their own fields and habitats. Their ways of knowing and the body of their local knowledge is called ilmu titèn (the ways of carrying out careful and detailed observations, and the results that are memorable) by the Javanese farmers in Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. They were recently questioning the indicators for decision making they traditionally referred to at the time they used to start planting according to their local cosmology (pranata mangsa). These indicators appeared no longer adequate in their present form. From their training in a Climate Field School (CFS), they knew that climate change was influencing their habitat. No publisher admin 2010-11-10T09:57:06Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/accounts-of-operational-agrometeorology/validation-of-rainfall-forecast-given-by-aau-monsoon-research-almanac-2010 In year 2010, the daily rainfall predictions were made for 26 districts of Gujarat state. The validation of this forecast on Yes/No basis for season as a whole indicated that accuracy varied between 64 to 75% for different zones (Table 1). Comparatively, the accuracy of forecast was good in the month of July to September except June. The average accuracy of daily rainfall forecast for state as a whole was 55.5% in June, 78.9% in July, 79.3% in August and 71.2% in September. The skill scores averaged for four months (June to September) indicated that, it was 75%, 63.5%, 73.7% and 72.8% for four regions viz. Middle Gujarat, North Gujarat, South Gujarat and Saurashtra respectively (Table 1). Gujarat state as a whole has recorded 71.3% skill score. No publisher admin 2010-11-01T13:06:47Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/accounts-of-operational-agrometeorology/forecasting-rainfall-for-2010-of-gujarat-based-on-astro-meteorology Considering the abnormality of weather particularly rainfall during the monsoon, Anand Agricultural University, Anand has prepared almanac predicting district wise daily rainfall from monsoon 2007 to 2009 for beneficiaries for the farming community as well as planners. The observed and predicted rainfall was then analyzed for its validity. No publisher admin 2010-11-22T10:56:07Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/accounts-of-operational-agrometeorology/rainfall-measurements-by-farmers-in-their-fields One source has it that the son of King Sejong the Great, who reigned in Korea from 1418 to 1445, invented the first rain gauge in 1441. Droughts plagued the kingdom, and the king directed every village to measure the amount of rainfall. King Sejong sent a rain gauge to every village, and they were used as an official tool to measure the farmer's potential harvest. They also used these measurements to determine what the farmer's land taxes should be. The story does not reveal how tampering with the data was prevented! No publisher admin 2011-05-23T06:59:00Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/accounts-of-operational-agrometeorology/modelling-apple-tree-bud-burst-time-and-frost-risk-in-iran The bud burst phase of orchard trees is the most critical phase in relation to low temperature and frost since most parts of the bud, especially the ovary, are very sensitive to low temperatures. Therefore, predicting the time of bud burst is important. No publisher admin 2009-10-27T07:05:16Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/accounts-of-operational-agrometeorology/greening-the-desert-scientists-catch-up-with-reality We thank the Institute of Science in Society (ISIS) for permission to publish the paper below. A fully referenced version of this article is posted on ISIS members’ website. For context see also the INSAM homepage from October till December 2009 inclusive, where we indicated that this paper can also be viewed at “Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA)”. Kees Stigter No publisher admin 2009-10-14T13:45:15Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/accounts-of-operational-agrometeorology/climate-field-schools-in-indonesia-coping-with-climate-change-and-beyond By Yunita Winarto, Kees Stigter, Esti Anantasari and Siti Nur Hidayah. Climate Field Schools (CFSs) are based on the experiences obtained with “Farmer Field Schools” developed in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) extension. The latter gave Indonesia some international fame over the last decades. Application of such schools in coping with climate disasters, including climate change itself, appears a very good idea. No publisher admin 2009-03-31T08:02:34Z News Item