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Title: SEASONAL CLIMATE FORECASTS AND APPLICATION BY AGRICULTURE: A REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Author
item Garbrecht, Jurgen
item MEINKE, HOLGER - DPILF, AUSTRALIA
item SIVAKUMAR, MANNATA - WMO, SWITZERLAND
item MOTHA, RAYMOND - USDA, ARS
item SALINGER, MICHAEL - NIWAR, NEW ZEALAND

Submitted to: Trans American Geophysical Union
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/25/2005
Publication Date: 6/14/2005
Citation: Garbrecht, J.D., Meinke, H., Sivakumar, M., Motha, R., Salinger, M. 2005. Seasonal climate forecasts and application by agriculture: a review and recommendations. Trans American Geophysical Union. 86:227-228.

Interpretive Summary: Agriculture can benefit from accurate long-lead seasonal climate forecasts. However, despite the tantalizing benefits that seasonal climate forecasts may offer, there is little evidence of widespread applications of climate forecasts in agriculture. At team of 10 international experts and a group of 17 Australian and New Zealand scientists discussed this issue at a recent workshop in Brisbane, Australia, hosted by the World Meteorological Organization and the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia. This article summarizes the findings and recommendations by the team of experts. Summaries of presentations have been compiled and are available as unpublished proceedings at http://www.apsru.gov.au/wmoetbne/. A book, to be published in 2006 by Springer, will include presentations by workshop participants, as well as recommendations to the World Meteorological Organization by the team of experts. The book will provide more detailed background on the issues and recommendations and communicate the findings of the workshop to a wider audience that include organizations and institutions involved in climate forecast applications and end users in agriculture, rangelands, forestry and fisheries.

Technical Abstract: Agriculture can benefit from accurate long-lead seasonal climate forecasts. However, despite the tantalizing benefits that seasonal climate forecasts may offer, there is little evidence of widespread applications of climate forecasts in agriculture. At team of 10 international experts and a group of 17 Australian and New Zealand scientists discussed this issue at a recent workshop in Brisbane, Australia, hosted by the World Meteorological Organization and the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia. This article summarizes findings and recommendations by the team of experts. Topics included training and capacity building, collaboration and partnerships, integration and systems approach, assessment and review, research and development needs, communication, and policy linkages. Summaries of presentations have been compiled and are available as unpublished proceedings at http://www.apsru.gov.au/wmoetbne/. A book, to be published in 2006 by Springer, will include presentations by workshop participants, as well as recommendations to the World Meteorological Organization by the team of experts. The book will provide more detailed background on the issues and recommendations and communicate the findings of the workshop to a wider audience that include organizations and institutions involved in climate forecast applications and end users in agriculture, rangelands, forestry and fisheries.