Delivery of climate services to last mile users: challenges and opportunities for scaling

This book describes the challenges and opportunities for scaling up delivery of climate services to last mile users and describes the baseline assessment results of the project “Strengthening Agro-climatic Monitoring and Information Systems (SAMIS) to improve adaptation to climate change and food security in Lao PDR”. After a methodological introduction, the book describes how households were accessing weather news. Further to this, the use of loudspeakers as a source of weather information is described, including use of weather news from loudspeakers, use of weather information, challenges to use of advisories, suggestions for improving advisories, sources of support for farmers, and type of support provided to farmers. The book also studies the farmers who did not access advisories, including their challenges in accessing advisories from loudspeakers, preferred channels for receiving advisories, and interests in loudspeaker-delivered advisories from farmers who have not accessed advisories. Finally, the book analyse suggestions for improving dissemination through loudspeakers. The results show that loudspeakers have a wide reach and are valued by farmers, and it is used when choosing crop variety. Those who have access to both farmer field schools and loudspeakers are more likely to adjust their planting schedule, while farmers who get their information only from loudspeakers often change their water management practices.