Climate information and services in BRACED countries

The document examines climate information services in BRACED countries, noting that while access is increasing, end-users struggle with data quality, inappropriate spatial scales, and poor communication. It details regional weather drivers like the ITCZ in Africa and the monsoon in Asia, and argues for a service-oriented approach that integrates localized, two-way communication into resilience programming to improve decision-making at the community level.

• End-users of climate information in Africa and Asia face significant barriers to applying data in decision-making, primarily due to poor product quality, a lack of information at appropriate local scales, and difficulties in communication and interpretation.
• Climate information in Africa is primarily provided by National Hydrological and Meteorological Services (NHMSs), with Ethiopia, Kenya, and Sudan possessing more advanced services and websites. Regional support is provided by entities such as the African Centre of Meteorological Application for Development (ACMAD) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC).
• In Asia, Nepal and Myanmar have established web-based climate data portals to share decadal scenarios and past climate data, though these lack the spatial resolution required for local planning. Both countries are in the early stages of operationalising the Weather Research Forecast (WRF) model for short-range forecasting.
• The lack of localized data is a major constraint for smallholder farmers; information covering large geographic areas often fails to reflect local rainfall patterns. Downscaling seasonal forecasts to local homogeneous zones has shown positive results in Kenya and Zambia.
• Communication failures often prevent timely warnings from reaching at-risk populations, as seen in Myanmar during Cyclone Nargis (2008) and Cyclone Komen (2015), where limited radio access and government response gaps hindered the effectiveness of available data.
• There is a critical gap in how users interpret risk information and thresholds for action. For example, during Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, the term 'storm surge' was not understood by local communities, leading them to ignore warnings.
• The document argues that the success of resilience programmes depends on institutionalising two-way communication between producers and users and strengthening the capacity of providers to produce more localised and accurate information.

APA

Wilkinson, E., Budimir, M., Ahmed, A. K., & Ouma, G. (2015). Climate information and services in BRACED countries. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Climate-information-and-services-in-BRACED-countries.pdf

Chicago

Wilkinson, Emily, Mirianna Budimir, Atiq Kainan Ahmed, and Gilbert Ouma. Climate information and services in BRACED countries. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2015. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Climate-information-and-services-in-BRACED-countries.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wilkinson |first1=Emily |last2=Budimir |first2=Mirianna |last3=Ahmed |first3=Atiq Kainan |last4=Ouma |first4=Gilbert |title=Climate information and services in BRACED countries |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=December 2015 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Climate-information-and-services-in-BRACED-countries.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wilkinson2015climate, author = {Wilkinson, Emily and Budimir, Mirianna and Ahmed, Atiq Kainan and Ouma, Gilbert}, title = {{Climate information and services in BRACED countries}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2015}, month = dec, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Climate-information-and-services-in-BRACED-countries.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }