A low-cost approach to develop Weather, Water and Climate Services (WWCS) in rural areas of Tajikistan

Severe weather and climate change take a high toll on the most vulnerable population of Tajikistan. Every year, droughts, flooding or avalanches and unsustainable land and water use management practices cause food insecurity and affect the lives of exposed rural communities. Weather, Water and Climate Services (WWCS) that support agronomic decisions and early warning systems can greatly reduce socio-economic and environmental impacts on vulnerability and well-being. However, a lack of public and private resources and local capacities have so far inhibited their development. In response to this urgent need, a consortium of Swiss federal institutions, the WMO and ICARDA, led by CARITAS Switzerland (CACH) and with co-funding from CACH and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, support governmental and private sector partners in Tajikistan to develop WWCS. The project improves the observational database by deploying a large number of low-cost automated weather stations complemented by citizen observations in remote areas. These stations enable post-processing of forecasts and thereby the development of reliable services tailored to local user-needs. This presentation will give an overview of the achieved results during the first phase of the project, demonstrating the added value from benchmark and demonstration sites for improved irrigation practices, early warning of frost, and increased agricultural production yield due to timely sowing and harvesting of crops. These results will consequently put into the institutional context of Tajikistan and the challenges faced by the national actors in hydrometeorology. The need for few but highly qualified (and relatively expensive) staff, with capacity to maintain and develop further these WWCS is a key main concern. An innovative perspective is finally presented to overcome these challenges, by targeting public-private partnerships.