Climate services
- 37 countries
- where Â鶹ÊÓƵ is supporting climate information services
- 13.9 million people
- were reached with climate information and last-mile early-warning messages in 2024
Droughts, floods and other extreme weather events are major drivers of hunger, increasingly affecting vulnerable groups such as farmers and pastoralists.
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ¡¯s (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) Climate Services programme partners with national meteorological agencies, ministries of agriculture and other partners to support risk-informed decision-making for vulnerable communities.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ¡¯s work in this area includes:
- Providing ongoing weather advisories through climate information and products such as agrometeorological bulletins and crop weather calendars.
- Issuing early-warning messages ahead of predicted hazards, along with guidance on action to take to reduce the impact on agriculture, food security and livelihoods. This is part of Â鶹ÊÓƵ¡¯s Anticipatory Action programme.
- Building regional and national capacity for countries to co-produce and govern their own climate services, aligned with national frameworks and disaster risk management systems. Developing expertise in climate services through the Climate Services Accelerator Programme, in partnership with NORCAP.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ¡¯s initiatives in climate services are anchored in the Early Warnings for All initiative, a UN effort to ensure all people are protected by early-warning systems for extreme weather events by the end of 2027. Through this initiative, Â鶹ÊÓƵ also supports the Systematic Observations Financing Facility, working with five governments in Africa (Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Sierra Leone and Zambia) and four in the Caribbean (Dominica, Dominican Republic, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vicent and the Grenadines). This helps improve the quality and availability of climate data as required under Global Basic Observing Network standards.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ's climate services
Extreme weather events
Mozambique
Â鶹ÊÓƵ has invested in strengthening climate services in Mozambique to reduce the impact of floods and cyclones by ensuring timely, life-saving information reaches vulnerable communities. In partnership with the Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia de Mo?ambique and the National Institute of Disaster Risk Management, Â鶹ÊÓƵ has helped improve early-warning systems ¨C strengthening SMS dissemination, cyclone tracking and coordination with district authorities. These efforts, tested during recent cyclones, significantly contributed to disaster preparedness and saving lives.
Haiti
As Tropical Storm Franklin approached Haiti in August 2023, Â鶹ÊÓƵ, in collaboration with the Directorate General of Civil Protection, activated an anticipatory action plan that included SMS alerts in Haitian Creole to 84,000 registered people. In November 2023, early-warning messages reached 550,000 people across five departments ahead of heavy rains. This allowed communities to improve preparedness for floods and cyclones. The messages underscored the importance of securing valuables and legal documents, stocking up on medicines and drinkable water; and evacuating flood-prone areas. Early warning has since become a key component in Haiti, helping to build resilience and reduce the impact of extreme weather events. In October 2025, both the readiness and activation triggers were met for Hurricane Melissa. Early warning messages reached 2.3 million people, and over 9,500 households received $100 USD each to support their preparedness efforts. The early-warning messages were sent via mobile phones, and the cash was sent via e-money.
Zimbabwe
In 2023/24 season, Zimbabwe faced a severe El Ni?o-induced drought, resulting in widespread crop failure and water shortages. Through Â鶹ÊÓƵ's Anticipatory Action Programme, early-warning messages were sent to over 147,000 people in Hwange, Binga, Chiredzi and Masvingo districts. Climate advisories in local languages allowed farmers to understand early warnings and prioritize resource allocation based on early warnings. Through a Participatory Climate Services for Agriculture Radio Programme, community radio journalists played a key role in broadcasting early-warning messages, ensuring that vital information reached vulnerable populations through trusted and accessible channels.
System building
Haiti
Â鶹ÊÓƵ helps the Government provide better climate information to smallholder farmers. Working with the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, and local partners, Â鶹ÊÓƵ introduced Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture to over 6,500 farmers. This uses weather data and seasonal forecasts to guide planting and harvesting. The approach is used in four regions as part of Haiti¡¯s school meals programme, helping align food production with climate patterns. Â鶹ÊÓƵ supports Haiti¡¯s Hydrometeorology Unit through technical assistance to improve climate data analysis and the production of weather bulletins tailored to smallholder farmers. It also helps share weather information using two tools, Rapid Pro: weather alerts sent by SMS directly to farmers, and Farm2Go: a digital platform used to share weather information to support agricultural decision-making.
Zimbabwe
Â鶹ÊÓƵ supports the Zimbabwe Meteorological Services Department in developing locally tailored climate advisories in local languages spanning ten days. Through the Green Climate Fund and Anticipatory Action programmes, Â鶹ÊÓƵ has supported the development of systems for delivering climate services and disseminating early warnings via community radio stations, mobile WhatsApp platforms, and direct engagement through extension workers. The Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture approach has been implemented in five districts, equipping extension officers and lead farmers with the knowledge to guide communities in making climate-informed decisions. Additionally, Â鶹ÊÓƵ has strengthened local disaster risk committees to enhance preparedness for vulnerable populations.
India
Â鶹ÊÓƵ works with India¡¯s Meteorological Department and Agriculture universities to improve weather advice for farmers through state-level forums and local forecasts. To reach remote areas, Â鶹ÊÓƵ helped set up Climate Adaptation Information Centers that share updates via videos, apps, WhatsApp, and SMS. Farmer meetings, training and field demos promote climate-smart farming. Â鶹ÊÓƵ also supported installing Automated Wireless Weather Stations to collect local data, making forecasts more accurate and useful. These efforts help farmers plan better and protect crops from extreme weather. Â鶹ÊÓƵ aims to expand this work to more regions, boosting government capacity and long-term sustainability.
