Event Information

When a farmer makes decisions about what to plant, when to plant and how to care for her crop, her observations regarding weather and climate from the past year are not necessarily a good indication of what is likely happen this year. Climate services such as seasonal climate forecasts connected to crop simulation models or other types of decision support approaches (e.g. participatory roundtables) adapted to the farmer’s specific context have the potential to facilitate decision-making in communities confronting increasing climate variability and climate change.

While climate services have the potential to support agricultural decision-making, their effectiveness and suitability can vary substantially from one site to another. Given limited resources and a multitude of potential investment priorities, it is extremely important to approach investment in climate services in a systematic way that is both demand driven and has high potential for success.

Join us at the March 15th Adaptation Community Meeting to hear from USAID adaptation advisor Kevin Coffey and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) senior scientist Steven Prager on USAID's investments and strategies for climate services, specifically the work of the AgMetGaps project. The project, funded by USAID and led by CIAT, has developed a systematic approach for prioritizing, designing, and implementing demand-driven climate services for the agriculture sector. This innovative approach brings service design thinking and constant feedback loops to the climate services context.

More about the speakers:

Steven Prager is a Senior Scientist for Integrated Modeling at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, where he leads CIAT contributions to the CGIAR Global Futures and Strategic Foresight research activity and a portfolio of projects related to the development of climate services for agricultural applications. Steve specializes in the use of decision-science and quantitative foresight approaches. Prior to joining CIAT, Steve was an Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Wyoming. Steve has a PhD in Geography from Simon Fraser University, and an M.A. in geography and B.S. in earth science from the University of North Carolina.

Kevin Coffey is an adaptation advisor at USAID, where he works on topics related the use of earth observations for development and humanitarian assistance, as well as the design and delivery of weather and climate information systems. Prior to joining USAID, Kevin worked for the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) at Columbia University as part of the CGIAR’s Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS) and for UNDP as a Scientific Affairs Officer and Knowledge Management Specialist working on evidence-based policy for MDG achievement. Kevin has a Ph.D. from Columbia and Masters from Yale focusing on environment, agriculture, and development.

A live webinar of the event will be available here.

This event is part of the monthly USAID Adaptation Community Meetings. For more information and to stay up-to-date on similar events, sign up to receive event updates.