Dr Michael Taylor (third left) makes a strong point to workshop facilitator, Menno Valkenburg during the introductory exercise of the Strategic Programme for Climate Resilience (SPCR) Stakeholder Consultations Results workshop held at the Terra Nova hotel on January 22-24, 2019. The workshop brought together all five projects being implemented under the SPCR to share the impact of their work in island. Looking on are participants from the Adaptation Programme and Financing Mechanism, the Improving Climate Data and Information Management Project, the JN Water Project, the Investment Plan for the Caribbean and the Promoting Community based resilience in the Fisheries Sector.
Anaitee Mills (right), Project Manager, Climate Change Division of the InterAmerican Development Bank listens keenly as Claire Bernard, Deputy Director General, Sustainable Development and Social Planning at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) shares about the results of the five projects being implemented under the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR) in Jamaica. Both ladies were at a workshop on project results held at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston last week. The PIOJ is the focal point for the PPCR. About US$37.5 million has been spent for the implementation of the five projects designed to mainstream climate change into Jamaica’s policies and programmes while also building the islands capacity to respond to impacts such as flash flooding, drought and stronger hurricanes.
Fruitful conversations regarding implementation of the Gender Action Plan on Climate change. Gender equality advocates and champions for climate action had candid discussion on moving forward. An initial engagement with women involved in both areas was held on October 17, 2018 as a first step to wider gender engagement including a gender and climate change workshop on October 18, 2018 in Kingston.
The Adaptation Programme and Financing Mechanism has teamed up with JN Small Business and JN Foundation to talk about climate change, water adaptation and financing at the Caribbean Water and Waste Water (CWWA) Regional Conference starting Monday, October 8, 2018 in Montego Bay.
Here is our booth all prepped and ready for the opening ceremony this evening at 4:30 pm and another photo of the preparations.
THE development of Jamaica’s National Spatial Plan (NSP) has been progressing with a series of consultative workshops, including one held on Monday in Kingston.
Four others were held in June – two in Kingston, one in Mandeville, and another in Montego Bay. Some 140 stakeholders participated.
The objective of the workshops is to capture expert stakeholder information in the formulation of the seven technical papers that will guide the development of the National Spatial Plan.
Spatial planning refers to the various approaches used by the Government and non-government participants to influence the distribution of people and activities in spaces of various scale.
“A spatial plan is one of the most important planning instruments in any country. These workshops are a part of the process in shaping our sustainable development goals and priorities,” said Frances Blair, manager at the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), at the first workshop held in Kingston in June.
Monday’s event was a Geographic Information System (GIS) workshop. It is a follow-up to the first GIS workshop held in June 2018. It was intended to present the draft deliverable GIS database and to present and seek feedback on gaps in the spatial data and their metadata.
It also afforded stakeholders the opportunity to discuss the handover of the geo-database and aspects of management/maintenance that will be required by NEPA and others after the handover of the database.
“We are happy that the consultations and workshops are progressing well and are well attended by a number of stakeholders, relevant organi-sations, etc, ” said Dr Winsome Townsend, project manager for the Adaptation Programme and Financing Mechanism for the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (AP&FM), under which the development of the seven technical papers fall.
The AP&FM is funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Government of Jamaica.
“The technical papers will help us to ensure that the NSP is climate-resilient. This is crucial for Jamaica to achieve its sustainable development goals,” said Anaitee Mills, project manager at IDB’s Climate Change Division.
Jamaica is now better positioned to keep an eye on the changing climate, thanks to the addition of 35 new automatic weather stations to the Meteorological Service’s network.
Used to record temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, atmospheric temperature and precipitation, the stations are an improved version of the older ones and should enhance the Met Service’s forecasting ability.
“The new stations give our forecasting team eyes across the island in many places where there were none before,” says Jacqueline Spence, head of the Met Service’s Climate Branch.
The Climate Branch monitors Jamaica’s climate and aspects of climate change, does climate data collection and provide information to sectors, agencies and legal entities on issues relating to climate.
Enhancing Capabilities
New features of the weather stations include a data logger to save daily human labour and the capability to transmit real-time data. The data collected by the stations over time is what will enhance the Met Service’s forecasting capabilities.
The stations were installed under the management of the Planning Institute of Jamaica as part of the Improving Climate Data and Information Management Project (ICDIMP) of the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR).
Prior to the start of the ICDIMP – on which the Climate Investment Funds is spending US$6.8m and administered through the World Bank – the Met Service had 135 manual stations and 45 automatic weather stations across the island.
With installation out of the way, the entity is focused on actualising the real-time aspect of its network to enable its technical team to access weather readings directly from the Met Office and eliminate the need for monthly data collection at the sites.
Maintenance
The sites are to be maintained by individuals who have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Met Service to ensure the environment surrounding the stations are kept in good condition.
The PPCR was conceptualised to help developing countries integrate climate change resilience into development planning and investment. The ICDIMP is one of several projects aimed at meeting the goals and objectives of Jamaica’s own Strategic Programme for Climate Resilience (SPCR), geared towards the climate change adaptation imperative outlined in Vision 2030 Jamaica.
The new installations were part of phase one of overall upgrading works under phase one of the ICDIMP, which has also seen the placement of a sea level tide gauge at the Montego Bay Pier to better record the height of the surrounding water level.
The second and third phases will include climate resilient planning, hydro-meteorological information services and climate change education and awareness across the island.
Christena McCarthy (l), Project Assistant for the ICDIMP, observes as Andrew Hanchard (r), Meteorological Technician at the MSJ, explains the components of an automatic weather station to Cecelia Campbell (2nd left) and Stephen Sharpe (2nd right), participants at the first training session for voluntary observers and weather station partners.
Participants observe as Andrew Hanchard (foreground), Meteorological Technician at the MSJ, explains data collection by way of the rain gauge during the first training session for voluntary observers and weather station partners.
Approximately 150 persons across the island are being trained in operating, collecting and recording data using rain gauges and automatic weather stations. The individuals involved are voluntary observers and automatic weather station partners of the Meteorological Service Division (MSJ). Their capacity is being built through a partnership between the MSJ and the Improving Climate Data and Information Management Project (ICDIMP) being implemented by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ).
Seven training sessions are being held to cater to participants and, so far, two have already been executed. The first session for individuals in St. Catherine and Clarendon took place at the Bodles Research and Training Centre in St. Catherine on Wednesday, July 19, 2018 and was attended by 19 individuals. The second session was held at Appleton Estate in St. Elizabeth on Tuesday, July 31, 2018 and involved 29 individuals from Manchester and St. Elizabeth.
“In light of climate change, the use of climate data for decision making in our daily lives and livelihoods has become increasingly significant. Improving the quality and use of this information is therefore key to building resilience and protecting lives. While the project has procured 35 automatic weather stations which have all been installed across the island by the MSJ, we also think that it is important to improve the capacity of the partners and individuals who interact with climate data collection equipment on a daily basis,” said Christena McCarthy, Project Assistant for the ICDIMP, in underscoring the importance of the training sessions.
The ICDIMP aims to improve the quality and use of climate related data and information for effective planning and action at local and national levels, through the strengthening of meteorological observation and data collection systems among other things. The project is funded by the Climate Investment Funds administered through the World Bank, and is being implemented by the PIOJ and other partners, including the MSJ.
“We have to ensure that everyone is fully aware of the international standards as it regards collecting and recording information and that they abide by them. It is this data which is collected that allows us to refine our climate products especially for our farmers who need rainfall and weather data to guide their farming practices. If there are discrepancies in equipment operation and data collection, then we will not be able to properly use the information to make decisions,” said Andrew Hanchard, Meteorological Technician at the MSJ, speaking during the first training session.
Participants have been very receptive to the training material. Cecelia Campbell, a voluntary observer from Clarendon, shared that, “It was a very informative session. Learning that the data which is captured can be used in so many other ways afterwards gives you a greater sense of responsibility and makes you even more committed to ensuring that you perform your duties well. I recommend that they continue to have similar sessions on a regular basis.”
Ms. Campbell’s sentiments were echoed by Stephen Sharpe, an automatic weather station partner from St. Catherine. “The sessions reinforced that it is not just about collecting and recording the data but implementing measures to ensure proper care and maintenance of the equipment, as well as being sensible and vigilant as it regards the area in which it is set up, because you need to make sure that there is nothing in the surrounding environment that can compromise the data,” he said.
For further information, please contact: Lehome Johnson The Planning Institute of Jamaica 16 Oxford Road, Kingston 5, Jamaica Tel: (876) 935-5049 l Email: lehome_johnson@pioj.gov.jm
Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Audley Shaw (second right) peruses a publication on crop modelling during Monday’s launch of the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR) Advanced Training Workshop on Crop Modelling at the Department of Physics, University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, St Andrew. Shaw was the keynote speaker. Others (from left) are pre-eminent scholar from the Institute for Sustainable Food Systems, University of Florida, USA, Professor Gerrit Hoogenboom; Caribbean Agriculture Research Development Institute (CARDI) Jamaica Representative, Dr Gregory Robin; and UWI Mona Campus Deputy Principal, Professor Ishenkumba Kahwa. (Photo: JIS)
MORE than 20 agricultural stakeholders from the region are benefiting from a five-day training worshop in Climate Resilience Advanced Crop Modelling, which opened in Kingston, Jamaica, on Monday.
The participants are from Jamaica, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago, and include agronomists, agricultural extension officers and agrometeorologists, farmers, and researchers.
Crop and livestock impact modelling, which is relatively new to the Caribbean, uses technology to develop and test multiple climate and weather scenarios, validates them using field data, and then explores expected impacts and possible options for adaptation in farming.
The objective is to better prepare farmers to deal with weather uncertainties associated with climate change.
Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Audley Shaw, who opened the event at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, on Monday, pointed out that the Jamaican Government, over the years, has been working with several partners to build the resilience of the farming sector to climate change.
These, he said, include encouraging farmers to employ more efficient water use and developing and applying climate-smart land husbandry techniques.
The minister pointed to initiatives such as the Adaptation Fund Programme, which focuses on protecting livelihoods and food security in vulnerable communities by improving land and water management, strengthening coastal protection, and building institutional and local capacity for climate change adaptation
“We are also promoting protected agriculture that will help [to] bring on board the technology that will result in high productivity and continuous production in addition to building resilience in the face of climate change,” he noted.
He said, however, that based on the irreversible nature of climate change and the susceptibility of the Caribbean to cycles of drought and floods, more needs to be done in order to safeguard the region’s agriculture sector.
“Much of what agriculturalists, small farmers, extension workers [and] large agricultural conglomerates used to know about climate weather patterns and agriculture do not seem to hold true any longer. Farmers no longer know when to expect rain or to anticipate dry seasons or which crops to plant when because of the changes they are seeing,” Minister Shaw pointed out.
He said further that the sector is dominated by small holdings, whose owners often lack access to financial and other resources that are needed to modernise, while noting an over-reliance on rainfall for crop and livestock production.
He said estimates suggest that more than 90 per cent of domestic production in Jamaica has no supplemental irrigation, and over the last several years the Government has spent more than $1 billion to provide assistance to farmers impacted by drought.
He said that he was pleased with the partnership involving various stakeholders for the staging of the seminar.
“I also welcome the use of modern technology in problem-solving by the application of a computer model to real world problems, in order to assess crop production in different scenarios — water and nutrient management, climatic and economic risk(s), and environmental sustainability,” the minister added.
He said that through the use of the simulations, “we will have a clear picture of what to expect under various scenarios”, thereby being better able to make the necessary plans to improve crop system management.
Among the presenters this week will be pre-eminent scholar from the Institute for Sustainable Food Systems, University of Florida, Professor Gerrit Hoogenboom.
The stakeholder partners include the UWI, Government of Jamaica Adaptation Programme and Financing Mechanism for the Pilot Programme for Climate Change, and Inter-American Development Bank/Climate Investment Funds.
Professor Gerrit Hoogen-boom, pre-eminent scholar from the Institute for Sustainable Food Systems, University of Florida, and Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, will be a special lecturer in an advanced crop modelling training which takes place July 23-27 at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona.
Professor Hoogenboom will be in the island as part of UWI’s efforts to support the agricultural sector in the Caribbean to adapt to climate change.
Caribbean lecturers will include Professor Michael Taylor from the Department of Physics and the Climate Studies Group, Mona, and livestock specialist and senior lecturer at UWI, St Augstine, Cicero Lallo.
The advanced training is one of two workshops being organised by UWI’s Department of Physics (Mona) and the Department of Life Sciences (Mona and St Augustine campuses) over the period July 16-27. Both workshops are supported by the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR)/Climate Investment Funds through the Inter-American Development Bank.
Extreme Weather
Climate change (with its longer dry seasons and droughts, intense storms and generally more extreme weather events), along with variations in climate, have significantly altered the environment in which crops grow and in which livestock develop.
Crop and livestock impact modelling use technology to develop and test multiple climate and weather scenarios, validate them using field data and then explore expected impacts and possible options for adaptation in farming.
Crop modelling is relatively new to the Caribbean, and UWI and the PPCR are working to get more professionals and institutions involved in this field. The workshops’ target audience includes agronomists, extension officers, farmers, researchers (including graduate students), agro-meteorologists, sectoral impact modellers, and other stakeholders from across the region.
Two PPCR projects – the UWI-implemented PPCR Caribbean’s Regional Track and the GOJ-implemented Adaptation Programme and Financing Mechanisms project in Jamaica – have provided initial support to a representative of the Climate Studies Group, Mona, to pursue training in crop modelling and to train some regional stakeholders, and follow-up support to facilitate the participation of Professor Hoogenbooom, other overseas trainers and select local participants in the workshops.
