by Wilson Yule – SANF 06 No 8
Information and knowledge management are emerging as some of the main interventions pursued by drought-prone southern Africa to attain food sustenance and disaster preparedness.
Following years of unpredictable weather patterns, the 14-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) has now raised the role of information sharing and knowledge management to a higher pedestal.
Climatic conditions have not been sympathetic to the SADC region. The past few years have seen countries going through sustained dry periods followed by one or two seasons with too much rain and flooding in low-lying areas.
In response to these changes in weather patterns, regional cooperation has increased in areas such as early warning systems, and SADC countries have made great strides in strengthening the basic infrastructure and capacities of national meteorological and hydrological services.
The region now relies on a coordinated information sharing and knowledge management system that produces timely alerts on impending natural disasters such as floods as well as on predicting crop yields and likely food shortfalls.
The system has evolved over the years since the formation of the SADC Regional Early Warning System (REWS) in 1993 whose role is to collect, analyse and disseminate credible information on the region’s food security.
The REWS provides advance information on food security through analysis and monitoring of food crop production prospects, food supplies and requirements.
This information is used to alert SADC member states to impending food shortages in sufficient time for appropriate interventions to be made.
As part of the restructuring of SADC, REWS was merged within the directorate for Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (FANR) based at the secretariat in Botswana.
The scope of its function has been widened to include broader food security issues such as coverage of livestock and commodity markets, livelihood/vulnerability analysis and cross-cutting issues such as the environment.
Climate scientists from meteorological and hydrological services departments of member states meet at least once a year under the banner of the Southern Africa Regional Climate Outlook Forum to share information and produce a collective forecast for rain in the region. The forum is coordinated by the SADC Drought Monitoring Centre (DMC).
The DMC is responsible for carrying out climate monitoring and predictions for early warning and mitigation of adverse impacts of extreme climatic events on agricultural production, food security, water resources, energy and health among other socio-economic sectors.
Other information networks that have effectively generated knowledge in the region include the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET), which works closely with the FANR.
Knowledge generated by FEWSNET is obtained through collaboration with institutions and experts throughout the world. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is the main partner and provides maps and remote-sensed data.
This information is vital for planning purposes as it pinpoints areas threatened by food insecurity. FEWSNET mainly reaches its audience by electronic means though alternative provisions are made for those who are not on the Internet.
