Many emerging market economies cannot afford sophisticated forecasting turkey phone number library tools such as ground-based radar and rain gauge networks, making it much more difficult to predict the seasonal rains that are the lifeblood of farming in many Asian countries.
“Weather information is the first thing farmers need,” said Daniele Tricarico, of Agritech.
"We are trying to use mobile data to provide better and more advanced services to smallholder farmers to help them adapt to climate change," Daniele told the Thomson Reuters Foundation at an agriculture conference in Hyderabad, southern India.
Cell phone towers transmit radio signals, and this process can be disrupted during rain. This provides data that helps improve the accuracy of weather forecasts.
The sheer number of cell towers means they can provide forecasts with up to 90% accuracy, Tricarico says, compensating for the lack of specialized equipment at no additional cost and providing specific data with a higher location accuracy than satellites can provide.
Forecasts can be sent to farmers via calls and SMS messages, helping them plan seed planting or fertiliser application, said Damitha Gunawardena, digital connectivity manager at Sri Lanka's largest mobile operator Dialog Axiata.
Better forecasting is key to helping farmers cope with the impacts of climate change, he says.
According to the World Bank, the impacts of climate change could cost India 2.8% of its GDP and reduce the living standards of nearly half the country's population by 2050.
"If you talk to any farmer, they will say the climate has changed so much that they have no idea what to expect next," Gunawardena said. "And that's causing people to leave the industry."
India's heaviest monsoon rains in 25 years have caused floods that killed hundreds in late September, for example, and left crops washed away or simply rotting.
While the United States and some European countries have already begun using mobile phone networks to predict rainfall, developing countries may need several years to prepare, Tricarico says. Pilot projects are underway in Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
"The results so far have been promising. Since we know this idea is feasible, it's only a matter of time," Gunawardena said.
Source: https://telecom.economictimes.indiatime ... o/71658564
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