In April, SERVIR’s crop yield forecasting system supported a famine preparedness exercise in Western Kenya, as part of a pilot program in collaboration with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET). The system leverages National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) rainfall forecasts to monitor changes in end-of-season crop yields, and three SERVIR AST investigators were substantial contributors: Frank Davenport (University of California, Santa Barbara), Narendra Das (Michigan State University), and Catherine Nakalembe (University of Maryland, College Park).
According to Kenya-based FEWS NET climatologist Gideon Galu, “[The crop forecasts] are helping in a big way for predictive analysis, early warning, and early action.”
