Farmers to benefit from weather stations
KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – Approximately 500 farmers are among stakeholders who will benefit from the installation of 36 automated weather stations islandwide, valued at $18 million.
The equipment, being provided under the Jamaica Rural Economy and Ecosystems Adapting to Climate Change II (Ja REEACH), is aimed at improving the quality and availability of climate and weather forecast data for use in planning and decision making at the community and national levels.
Installation and management of the weather stations will be jointly undertaken by the Meteorological Service of Jamaica (MSJ), Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), and National Irrigation Commission (NIC), and forms part of the Government’s climate change adaptation and mitigation response.
This will be facilitated under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was signed during a forum marking World Meteorological Day, on March 23, under the theme: ‘Hotter, Drier, Wetter. Face the Future’, at the Knutsford Court Hotel, in New Kingston.
Signing were: Acting MSJ Director, Jacqueline Spence; Chief Executive Officer of RADA, Lenworth Fulton, and the NIC’s Dr Mark Richards.
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation Daryl Vaz, who spoke at the forum, underscored the importance of collating data and information on climate change.
He said decisions taken must be informed by “our understanding” of the global climate system, and “our ability to project future climate through continued and improved monitoring and research.”
Commending the Meteorological Services Division, which he noted “has been at the forefront” of Jamaica’s adaptation and mitigation efforts, Vaz urged the agency to “continue your efforts in building capacity to implement additional climate services that translate into practical and proactive actions.”
For her part, Mission Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Jamaica, Denise Herbol, said her organisation, which funds Ja REEACH, remains committed to providing technical knowledge to support and advance the implementation of adaptive solutions to climate change.
