http://www.agrometeorology.org Here we have discussions on problems for which operational solutions with agrometeorological components are highly required, but not yet or incompletely available, or available but not applied. Here pre-publication information may be exchanged and experiences swapped on possible services, research, training/extension and policies related to food security, on-farm and market related. [Discuss items for this section with the President or the Vice-president.] daily 1 2008-09-16T12:37:56Z http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/needs-for-agrometeorological-solutions-to-farming-problems/how-valuing-nature-can-transform-agriculture How Valuing Nature Can Transform Agriculture. By Joshua Farley, Abdon Schmitt F., Juan Alvez, Norton Ribeiro de Freitas Jr. No publisher admin 2012-01-11T13:51:07Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/needs-for-agrometeorological-solutions-to-farming-problems/intricacies-of-technology-and-weather-factors-associated-with-livelihood-of-farmers-in-india Agricultural growth in India averaged 2.5% in the past five years. This pales in comparison to the 10% growth achieved by manufacturing and services in the same period. Agriculture, in fact, touched a terrible low between 1997 and 2008 with 182,936 farmers committing suicide according to government records (see also Stigter, 2010). The returns from agriculture are paltry in comparison to other vocations. Let us consider some figures. Between 1997 and 2007, the salaries of government employees increased by over 150 %, but the farmer could manage only a 25% increase in the prices of his/her produce. No publisher admin 2010-11-22T11:44:33Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/needs-for-agrometeorological-solutions-to-farming-problems/desert-farming-the-peasant-perspectives-of-climate-change Where did all the waters go, wondered the old as well as the middle aged. This used to be a common recipe. The articulate ones reminisced that awesome flows of a middle order rivulet in a South Indian state knocked down a crowded passenger train crossing a rail bridge killing as many as 500 passengers. This was in 1963. Mohan Reddy Vishwavaram, FORUM FOR TROPICAL WATER, Hyderabad, India. No publisher admin 2010-08-23T06:16:16Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/needs-for-agrometeorological-solutions-to-farming-problems/farmers-perspectives-on-a-changing-climate Around the world farmers are reporting that the seasons are changing. Seasons are becoming hotter and drier, rainy seasons shorter, more violent and increasingly erratic, and some temperate seasons are disappearing altogether. No publisher admin 2009-10-30T09:28:12Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/needs-for-agrometeorological-solutions-to-farming-problems/reply-to-m-gs-reaction This is a reply to the text “The biotic pump physics is maturing to a novel theory of atmospheric circulation: Everybody’s invited!” by Makarieva and Gorshkov, published on 13-10-2009 on this site, in reaction to “A ‘Forests as biotic pump’ hypothesis discredited due to errors in basic atmospheric physics” by Stigter and Meesters, published on 8-10-2009. No publisher admin 2009-10-16T13:17:00Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/needs-for-agrometeorological-solutions-to-farming-problems/the-biotic-pump-physics-is-maturing-to-a-novel-theory-of-atmospheric-circulation-everybody2019s-invited Horizontal ocean-to-continent moisture transport is of vital importance to humanity, hence the recently proposed biotic pump theory, which suggests a major role for forests in this mechanism, has provoked widespread notice and debate. Here we address some criticisms and report on recent advances of the theory. A new field of research awaits capable newcomers from ecology, meteorology and physics. No publisher admin 2009-10-13T07:34:09Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/needs-for-agrometeorological-solutions-to-farming-problems/a-forest-as-biotic-pump201d-hypotesis-discredited-due-to-errors-in-basic-atmospheric-physics The role of vegetation cover in the earth hydrological cycle remains controversial and difficult to model. Land cover change affects regional climate through impacts on the surface albedo and radiative forcing, partitioning of available energy between sensible and latent heat, boundary layer temperature, moisture profile and depth, and the partitioning of rainfall between evaporation and runoff (Pitman et al., 2009). Local people in many partially forested regions believe that forests “attract” rain, but climatology has no scientific explanation for that believe (Stigter, 2010). There is some evidence that the presence of extended tracts of forest (e.g. in the humid tropics) promotes inland transport of moisture. The most important mechanism in this regard seems to be the recycling of moisture by the forest (e.g. Salati and Vose, 1984; Meesters et al., 2009). No publisher admin 2009-10-08T12:48:23Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/needs-for-agrometeorological-solutions-to-farming-problems/nsurer-sompo-japan-introduces-national-green-purchasing-system-for-agencies Among these commitments, attention is being especially focused on how a company takes advantage of its core business activities to develop CSR financing, such as "weather index insurance," a type of insurance designed to respond to the effects of climate change. No publisher admin 2009-10-01T08:57:29Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/needs-for-agrometeorological-solutions-to-farming-problems/monsoon-playing-truant-with-us-or-we-are-playing-truant-with-monsoon FORUM FOR TROPICAL WATER; RELEASE NO: 10. No publisher admin 2009-07-16T08:34:15Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/needs-for-agrometeorological-solutions-to-farming-problems/cocoa-and-climate-change-can-the-lame-help-the-blind Climate change, this blind force acting with changing rainfall patterns and amounts, and with increasing temperatures, influences cocoa production most often negatively. In many places, with more and also more aggressive extreme events and higher climate variability as well, this becomes worse. Indeed, it appears as if in quite some places the vulnerability of cocoa production to adverse climatic conditions will be exacerbated (e.g. Anim-Kwapong and Frimpong, 2005). Definitely, that is, if no or too little action is taken. No publisher admin 2008-11-04T12:33:15Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/needs-for-agrometeorological-solutions-to-farming-problems/better-farming-better-air-a-scientific-analysis-of-farming-practice-and-greenhouse-gases-in-canada A phrase taken from the concluding paragraph of this outstanding book sums up perfectly the spirit of the publication: we must restore the vision of “seeing our farmlands not as resources to be spent, but as a home in which we live, whether we reside there or not.” This statement is precisely in accord with what eminent American ecologist, forester and environmentalist Aldo Leopold wrote. He said, “We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. No publisher admin 2009-07-27T07:44:25Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/needs-for-agrometeorological-solutions-to-farming-problems/report-on-the-project-entitled-201cwmo-angrau-dst-sponsored-roving-seminars-on-weather-climate-and-farmers201d The World Meteorological Organisation is promoting to organize a series of one day seminars for farmers in different regions of world. No publisher admin 2008-02-19T13:34:00Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/needs-for-agrometeorological-solutions-to-farming-problems/how-to-organize-coping-with-crop-disease-risck-of-farmers-in-poor-countries The paper below was presented by Kees Stigter on Tuesday 12 February at a “Review and Planning Workshop” in Dhaka, Bangladesh, of the Asian Pacific Network (APN) project “Climate and crop disease risk management: an international initiative in the Asia-Pacific Region”. No publisher admin 2008-02-19T12:52:00Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/needs-for-agrometeorological-solutions-to-farming-problems/services-to-face-climate-change-in-agriculture Climate related disasters, seen as forced marriages between weather/climate hazards and vulnerabilities, need responses. Disaster risk mainstreaming, getting to deal with disasters as development issues, contains local preparedness measures (for what can’t be prevented), mitigation measures (to minimize consequences) and contingency measures (to counteract and temper consequences). But all these measures are forms of preparedness to reduce the impacts of disasters. No publisher admin 2007-10-17T07:16:00Z News Item http://www.agrometeorology.org/topics/needs-for-agrometeorological-solutions-to-farming-problems/between-success-and-expansion-farmer-field-schools-in-north-east-bali General failures have been reported among others from Indonesia, Vietnam and India of just making data and advisory information and research farm results etc. available upon request. Farmer Field Schools (FFSs) have become a new approach in getting relevant results from applied agricultural science actually used in services to and with farmers. This was successful in integrated pest management first, also in Indonesia (e.g. Stigter, 2007). Work in China shows that information services for rural people as well as their supporting technologies (such as means of communication) should always be differentiated according to occupation and income. Poverty alleviation will be served (Stigter et al., 2007). No publisher admin 2007-10-02T10:24:00Z News Item