The questions come even as a special weather forecast for farmers is being designed to provide information to cultivators in a simple manner as Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy says that data provided to the agriculture sector needed to be ”custom-prepared”
Ramsammy, in response to this newspaper’s queries on the effective use of the Doppler radar weather facility at Timehri said that it is being utilized for the purposes for which it was set up. He told Stabroek News that while information is being collected and disseminated by the unit, there is need for the information collected by the unit to be presented to the public in a more unsophisticated manner.
There have been concerns that the facility’s purpose, as was announced by the authorities when it was commissioned on October 5, 2009, was not being fulfilled. While the facility is manned 24 hours each day, its output coupled with the general predictions of weather by the Hydromet Department have been criticized.
The Doppler radar facility presents up-to-the-minute weather information and it was noted at the time of launching that plans were being laid out to have local television stations and media houses provided with weather information in order to sensitise the public about the usefulness of the facility. The facility is capable of providing 400km of weather coverage centred on its present geographical location at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). It is also capable of giving updates every 15 minutes of weather conditions for a 24-hour period. It gives area, velocity and rainfall conditions.
Superimposed
This newspaper was told that the facility cannot provide weather information for the days ahead. However the information collected, when superimposed utilizing available technology at the Hydromet Office, can be used for predictions for the days ahead. There are views that the information needs to be presented in a more usable manner and a source at Timehri noted that while the Hydromet Department has the technology, its utilization, development and ultimately, presentation to the public, including the farmers need to be improved. It was noted too that the timeliness of information needs to be addressed since in the past there have been instances where the rationale provided by the Hydromet department for weather conditions was being provided when such conditions were prevailing or had already prevailed.
Ramsammy, while addressing participants at the launching of the Caribbean Agro-meteorology Initiative (CAMI) project in Georgetown on Friday noted that, “we must custom-prepare the information for agriculture and we must ensure that our farmers are priority stakeholders in this pursuit. I am conscious that the farmers are themselves convinced of the way forward for farmer-friendly weather info.”
Ramsammy said that agriculture “was perhaps the first sector where humans realized that there are strong interactions between the sector and the weather.” He bemoaned the practice in developing countries of “generally having hydromet services as orphans or stepchildren as we build capacity in our countries.” He said that the time has come for greater development of personnel and infrastructure to take advantage of the considerable expertise that has been crafted in the developed countries to analyse weather conditions, to gather weather information and to predict weather.
The agriculture minister said too that “we must custom-prepare the information for agriculture and we must ensure that our farmers are priority stakeholders in this pursuit.” In this regard, the agriculture minister stated that during a recent discussion in the city with farmers, several recommendations were brought to the fore by the farmers.
Zoning
The farmers, he said, noted that they preferred to know what crops to plant to meet the amount of water available during rainfall. It was suggested that a system of agro-climatic zoning be adopted. He said most farmers are not familiar with internet technology and it was suggested that additional means of communication be employed. While information is currently received via the state-owned NCN television station, not all farmers have access to the TV channel, he noted.
It was noted too that the public must be able to relate to information communicated to them and according to Ramsammy, one farmer stated that he listened to the radio programme for farmers but he did not understand what was being said. Ramsammy said that the decisions taken by farmers on “when to plant, what to plant, how much to plant, where to plant” and the associated planning that is involved need to be “more scientific if we are to maintain and ultimately improve our competitive edge on both the regional and international markets.”
In recent years, heavy and persistent rainfall has played a major role in flooding on the coastland and in interior locations. While the Hydromet Office collects information from stations across the country, use of the data, including cohesive use of information collected by its facilities at Timehri needs to be improved, a retired meteorologist noted recently. He said that the unit has capable staff but their advancement in the field, such as enhancement training needs to be addressed.
In addition, it was noted that the agency has seen a “brain drain” of its staff in recent years – mainly the forecasters who were trained overseas and return to utilize the knowledge gained.
He said that there is a high demand for trained meteorology personnel in the region and as such, many have opted for greener pastures in response to the demand for their services.
The project was funded by the European Union, implemented by the Caribbean Meteorological Organization in Trinidad, and supported by the Guyana Government.
At the launching of the radar, then Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud had noted that the Doppler weather radar would allow forecasters to: “increase precision in defining the areas where severe weather is likely to form, identify the characteristic patterns indicating a high probability of severe thunderstorms, improve accuracy in forecasting the time, intensity and location of heavy precipitation and to provide timely and accurate information on approaching severe weather systems.”
According to him, “planners and policy makers in agriculture, water resources management, engineering, aviation, mining, sea defences and the public at large would also be provided with much needed real time weather information which will make a timely impact on security, civil defence and national development.”
“The Doppler radar will also have a crucial role to play in wider risk management strategies in agriculture”, Persaud had said.
The project was finally completed after several setbacks which had delayed the start even after the contract for its construction had been signed.
Work on the Doppler radar eventually commenced in early 2007 and cost about $550 million.
