Development and Implementation of a New Local Agroclimatic Forecast System for Hydrological Anomalies using Seasonal Forecasting in IDEAM

Lead PI: Carmen Gonzalez Romero

Unit Affiliation: International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI)

October 2021 - July 2022
Inactive
South America ; Colombia
Project Type: Research

DESCRIPTION: The Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies of Colombia, IDEAM, with the support of the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), has recently implemented a second generation seasonal prediction system (NextGen). This new prediction system will be used in IDEAM to develop improved predictions of hydrological excesses and deficits for the agriculture sector nationally, with focus on its impact on food security, female farmers and other vulnerable groups in the rural sector in Colombia. Between the two institutions mentioned above, new ensemble products for climate predictions using methodologies like downscaling, and tecnics like model output statistics.

IRI and CIAT-Bioversity Alliance (CIAT hereafter) have been collaborating in Colombia through the ACToday project and the Agroclimas project, respectively, for almost 5 years. Throughout this collaboration different sinergies were identified and new ways of collaboration were shaped. In particular, the call of the CAF and IDEAM to develop and implement a seasonal and subseasonal prediction system for hydrological excess and deficit at a local scale in Colombia was identified by both parties as a natural next step in the activities being implementing in the ground in Colombia to strengthen climate services for agriculture purposes.

Objective: The Sub-grant will contribute to co-development and co-implementation of a seasonal and subseasonal prediction system for hydrological excess and deficit at a local scale in Colombia. The system will provide tailored forecasts for the agriculture sector, in particular to the prioritized crops (non-irrigated rice and maize), in four departments ( Cordoba, Sucre, Tolima y Meta).