Working with agricultural extension serves two essential purposes. First, extension serves as an analog model to suggest how climate information can be disseminated effectively. Second, extension provides an infrastructure for information delivery and to evaluate the effectiveness of such transfer. Highlights from this cooperation include:
- The State of Florida has funded a start-up proposal to implement a climate information program.
- The Florida Agricultural Weather Network (FAWN), the existing extension weather program, has expanded its original emphasis on weather observations and is now incorporating climate information (provided by the Florida Consortium) to its WWW site (http:/fawn.ifas.ufl.edu). For example, monthly graphs show the seasonal patterns of mean climate and anomalies for each ENSO phase at any of the 88 sites selected by the user.
- We have also added two decision aids to this web site. The first predicts minimum night temperatures, to help citrus and vegetable growers decide whether to implement frost protection. The second predicts the severity of the late season blight on potato, to recommend a fungicide application schedule.
- The State of Florida has designated the application of climate forecasts as a State Major Program, which offers two major advantages. First, all extension agents are required to report activities or contacts related to the program. Second, formal mechanisms will evaluate the effectiveness of the program in communicating information.
- We have conducted a series of rapid interviews (named "sondeos") and individual meetings with agricultural extension agents and farmers throughout Florida. The first sondeo focused on climate information needs in different parts of Florida (agents from the 5 extension districts were interviewed). An important conclusion was that the diversity of Florida's agriculture (ranging from row crops to citrus, vegetables, and tropical fruits) places strong demands on a climate information system. Another conclusion was that practical, acceptable options exist for the use of climate information.
- A strategy for expansion into other states is being developed. A proposal has been submitted to USDA for collaborative work in Georgia. Other southeastern states will be incorporated progressively.
Cooperation with the Florida agricultural extension system, and the improved access to individual decision makers it provides, helps inform our research priorities and improves our understanding of decision makers perspectives and of institutions that influence them. User demand for information and decision aids from an agricultural climate information system requires expertise and resources beyond our Consortium research team. Research delivering information to clients must be balanced with that investigating innovative methods and approaches. Nevertheless, we have learned that this "research on demand" is essential for bridging the gap between our specific studies and the needs of the agricultural community. By combining our knowledge and methods with the resources of the extension service, considerably more can be accomplished.
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