MET Service Assisting Agricultural Sector

The . Service of Jamaica is working to develop tools to support stakeholders in the Fisheries sector.

Knowledge of weather and climate changes is critical for persons who earn their living from the sea or who are involved in aquaculture.

Director of the MET Service, Evan Thompson, said there exists a long-standing relationship with the agricultural sector in relation to the provision of climate services.

“[Entities such as] the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) are involved with the work of the MET Service. One of the projects that we have on the ground is one that is seeking to develop climate services for aquaculture and fisheries. We are expecting that we will be developing further tools and products that will assist the agricultural sector in that area,” he said.

Addressing a recent JIS ‘Think Tank’, Mr. Thompson also said that existing projects, such as the Bush Fire Warning Index, help the island’s farmers.

“We recognise that many of our farms are impacted by bushfires or wildfires, and so we want to make sure that we are at the cutting edge, where we are able to make predictions,” he said.

Through the Index, the MET Service is able to inform farmers of locations and times when there may be an increased probability of the development of these bush fires.

“[This also puts] even our fire brigade on alert to respond to these fires when they actually develop. We are trying to work with all of our sectors and agriculture is one of the main sectors that we have worked with over the years,” Mr. Thompson noted.

“We are sending out messages to them on a monthly basis, but also when there is severe weather, they receive SMS messages through RADA and the extension officers,” he added.

For updates, persons can follow the MET Service on Twitter @MetServiceJA.