Analysis of the meteorological capacity for early warnings in Malawi and Zambia

Venäläinen, Ari; Pilli-Sihvola, Karoliina; Tuomenvirta, Heikki; Ruuhela, Reija; Kululanga, Elina; Mtilatila, Lucy; Kanyanga, Joseph; Nkomoki, Jacob

doi:10.1080/17565529.2015.1034229

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC) forecasted that over 2.8 million people (17 per cent of the population) in 17 floodaffected districts would not be able to meet their food requirements over the period April 2015(MVAC, 2015, while over 6.5 million people (39 per cent of the population) in 24 drought-affected districts were forecasted to be unable to meet their food requirements during the April 2016-March 2017 period (MVAC, 2015(MVAC, , 2016. At the same time, it is expected that farmers' exposure to extreme climate events will continue to increase (Blanc, 2012;Belloumi, 2014;Venäläinen et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Droughts and floods in Malawi: impacts on crop production and the performance of sustainable land management practices under weather extremes

McCarthy¹,

Kilic²,

Brubaker³

et al. 2021

Envir. Dev. Econ.

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Climate change is predicted to increase the frequency of extreme weather events, increasing the vulnerability of smallholder farmers dependent on rain-fed agriculture. We evaluate the extent to which farmers in Malawi suffer crop production losses due to extreme weather, and whether sustainable land management (SLM) practices help shield crop production losses from extreme events. We use a three period panel dataset where widespread floods and droughts occurred in separate periods, offering a unique opportunity to evaluate impacts using data collected immediately following these events. Results show that crop production outcomes were severely hit by both floods and droughts, with average losses ranging between 32–48 per cent. Legume intercropping provided protection against both floods and droughts, while green belts provided protection against floods. However, we find limited evidence that SLM adoption decisions are driven by exposure to weather shocks; rather, farmers with more productive assets are more likely to adopt.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Droughts and floods in Malawi: impacts on crop production and the performance of sustainable land management practices under weather extremes

McCarthy¹,

Kilic²,

Brubaker³

et al. 2021

Envir. Dev. Econ.

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“…A Government of Malawi Post-Disaster Needs Assessment estimated the total costs of the flood damages at USD 335 million (Government of Malawi, 2015). Consistent with the global and regional evidence on the increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events, evidence from Malawi also suggests that the frequency of both flood and drought events is increasing, and likely to increase further still with climate change (Venalainen et al, 2016;Chinsinga, 2012). Farmers are particularly vulnerable to weather shocks in Malawi, where landholdings are very small, generally less than one hectare (Asfaw et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Shelter from the Storm? Household-Level Impacts of, and Responses to, the 2015 Floods in Malawi

et al. 2018

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The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.

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“…Our study in Malawi reflects on these factors within the context of the people-centered-approach advocated in the MHEWS. It has been recognized that the implementation of the MHEWS in Malawi has been constrained by issues such as the late release of information by the government, the lack of accessibility (in terms of reception of information by end-users) and reliability of the information, as well as the lack of understanding of the information provided (Venäläinen et al, 2015;Šakić Trogrlić and van den Homberg, 2018). The development of a tailor-made drought warning communication and dissemination process is recognized as a major challenge (Government of Malawi, 2018) that needs to be addressed to encourage the uptake of drought warning information.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Communication Structures and Decision Making Cues and Criteria to Support Effective Drought Warning in Central Malawi

Calvel¹,

Werner²,

Homberg³

et al. 2020

Front. Clim.

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Early warning systems trigger early action and enable better disaster preparedness. People-centered dissemination and communication are pivotal for the effective uptake of early warnings. Current research predominantly focuses on sudden-onset hazards, such as floods, ignoring considerable differences with slow-onset hazards, such as droughts. We identify the essential factors contributing to effective drought dissemination and communication using the people-centered approach advocated in the WMOs Multi-Hazard Early Warning System Framework (MHEWS). We use semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders and focus group discussions with small-scale farmers in the Mangochi and Salima Districts of Malawi. We show that the timely release of seasonal forecast, the tailoring of the drought warning content (and its timing) to agricultural decision making, and the provision of several dissemination channels enhance trust and improve uptake of drought warning information by farmers. Our analysis demonstrates that farmers seek, prepare, and respond to drought warning information when it is provided as advice on agricultural practices, rather than as weather-related information. The information was found to be useful where it offers advice on the criteria and environmental cues that farmers can use to inform their decisions in a timely manner. Based on our findings, we propose that by focusing on enhancing trust, improving information uptake and financial sustainability as key metrics, the MHEWS can be adapted for use in monitoring the effectiveness of early warning systems.

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Analysis of the meteorological capacity for early warnings in Malawi and Zambia

Cited by 13 publications

References 10 publications

Droughts and floods in Malawi: impacts on crop production and the performance of sustainable land management practices under weather extremes

Droughts and floods in Malawi: impacts on crop production and the performance of sustainable land management practices under weather extremes

Shelter from the Storm? Household-Level Impacts of, and Responses to, the 2015 Floods in Malawi

Communication Structures and Decision Making Cues and Criteria to Support Effective Drought Warning in Central Malawi

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