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Climate services such as agricultural decision support tools provide a link between climate information and agricultural practices for farmers, with a goal of improving best management practices and agricultural sustainability through the useful presentation of climate variability and change. Independent organizations throughout the world have developed tools to meet their region’s specific needs, and these tools are generally commodity or issue specific. The Cornell Climate Smart Farming Program, an interdisciplinary program of the Cornell Institute for Climate Smart Solutions (CICSS), has developed a website and suite of climate-based agricultural decision support tools aimed at helping farmers make more informed decisions in the face of increasing climate uncertainty. Specific tools were developed based on the major climate impacts to Northeastern US agriculture and through a collaborative development process with stakeholders, researchers, and the Northeast Regional Climate Center. Through this process, CICSS performed a review of decision tools on a national and international scale, and in this text the role and impact of decision support tools are examined, along with the ability of researchers and tool developers to learn from stakeholders and share information via extension specialists. The need for monitoring, evaluation, and coordination among regional programs and organizations is also discussed. |
