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National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology

Project Title: Supporting Climate Resilience and Transformational Change in the Agriculture Sector in Bhutan

Project duration: 6 years (2020-2025)

Donor: Green Climate Fund (GCF)

NCHM Component, Output 1: Promote resilient agricultural practices in the face of changing climate patterns

Activity 1.1. Developing and integrating climate risk data into crop and livestock planning at the national and sub-national levels

A critical intervention required to support decision-making is the availability of localized data and analysis, and technical capacities to apply climate information to crop and livestock planning. Doing so will provide decision-makers (local authorities to farmers) with an opportunity to take action that will minimize losses from climate impacts. To build up this capability for climate risk informed agricultural planning, GCF resources will be used to generate climate information tailored for use in decision making at the national and subnational levels.

Sub-activities include:

  • Training to 15 NCHM staff to a) combine local, regional/global information, disaster database and data from climate monitoring stations, b) model/forecast climate, flood, drought and water resource information (on daily to seasonal, as well as medium to long term timescales)

  • Review and enhancement of crop and livestock loss methodologies for consistent tracking and measurement of losses against climate change variability and impact, and integration into planning processes

  • Development of 9 tailored climate products (1 national and 8 dzongkhag level), integrating climate change impacts on agriculture and related agriculture losses to inform planning 

  • Training to 150 MoAF staff on application of climate impacts and related loss information in agriculture planning

  • Development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for effective and timely dissemination of climate and climate risk information at the national and sub-national level. 

Activity 1.2. Tailored climate information and related training to local government and farmers to interpret and apply climate risk data to local and household level agriculture planning

Climate information of Activity 1.1 will inform tailored agricultural advisories (e.g. weather bulletins, targeted agro-advisory services, crop weather outlooks, crop yield forecast, etc.).  Farmers, cooperatives and government staff will be sensitized and trained in the use of climate information and related services to optimize production and limit the negative impacts of less favorable climatic/weather events. This will support communities, in particular, to adapt and optimize their farming practices to climate change and to be prepared to minimize negative impact through practices such as timely sowing, transplantation and harvesting and to anticipate frost, hail and wind and rain storms.

Sub-activities include:

  • Development of tailored climate information, and means of dissemination, for farmers to meet the short-term and long-term agriculture planning needs

  • Annual trainings in 8 target dzongkhags designed and delivered to farmers, cooperatives and local government officers/NGOs on the application of tailored climate information to improve agriculture household planning 

Contact Point

1. Ms. Phuntsho Wangmo, Asst. Environment Officer/Project Focal

Weather and Climate Services Division, National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology

Email: pwangmo@nchm.gov.bt

2. Ms. Monju Subba, Engineer/Project Focal

Weather and Climate Services Division, National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology

Email: msubba@nchm.gov.bt

Contact no: 00975 2 335578