How participatory climate information services assist farmers to uptake rice disease forecasts and manage diseases in advance: Evidence from Coastal Bangladesh

Abstract

Rice yield reduction due to climate change-induced diseases is increasing which is of great concern for coastal farmers of Bangladesh. The development of participatory climate information services (CIS) based on farmers' needs could facilitate farmers to reduce these diseases by obtaining disease forecasts. Here we report on how participatory CIS assists coastal rice farmers to take up rice disease forecasts and better manage rice diseases by improving their informed decision-making. Through participatory approaches, we developed a tailor-made agrometeorological service using the DROP app to forecast rice diseases and manage them in advance. During weekly farmer field schools (FFS), we communicated 7-day disease forecasts in face-to-face meetings using printed paper and, messenger app derived from the DROP app. Results show that the majority of the experimental farmers understand disease forecasts through visualization, symbols, and text. The majority (95%) of them use disease forecast information directly from the DROP app followed by face-to-face meetings, messenger app, and printed paper. Farmers' participation and engagement during capacity-building training at FFS assisted them in making more informed decisions aimed at reducing disease risks compared to control farmers. Moreover, improved management of diseases using both preventive measures and chemical measures was practiced by experimental farmers throughout the rice cultivation period. We conclude that the development of participatory CIS in combination with capacity-building and training of farmers has increased farmers' understanding and uptake of disease forecasts to better manage rice diseases. Participatory services such as the DROP app offer great potential as an adaptation option for climate-smart rice production under changing climatic conditions.