It allows farmers to access high-resolution weather forecasts, agronomic tips, and information on climate-smart agricultural practices, and compares specific crop prices at three of the major markets in Jamaica – Coronation, May Pen, and Linstead.
The farmers were introduced to the technology under the ‘Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change while Reducing Disaster Risk’ project in Peckham, Clarendon, and surrounding communities project.
“It’s a data-driven and climate-smart approach to farming that gives real-time access to information on weather, climate and markets through the mobile phone,” Edwards explained, adding that they were still working with a few farmers who had challenges to fully maximise the app.
By connecting farmers to climate-smart technologies and providing them with more and better access to agriculture-related data, like agronomic tips, weather patterns and field data, we will reduce guessing and foster more intelligent decision-making in agriculture,” he added.
It features observed and forecast weather factors – temperature, precipitation, chance of rain, conditions, wind speed, humidity, and solar radiation, along with comparisons to historic values; field-specific, scientifically-vetted agronomic models based on plant growth stages, maturity tracking and harvest readiness, pest and disease likelihood, crop stress; and crop price information for major markets in Jamaica.
