We propose the development of a new platform, TAMSAT-ALERT*, which will transform proven research in decision support for African agriculture into a platform co-designed with key stakeholders in the agricultural and financial sectors, dedicated to supporting farmers facing time-critical agronomic decisions every season. TAMSAT-ALERT (AgricuLtural dEcision suppoRT) is a methodological framework for assessing weather-related risk to agriculture. TAMSAT has piloted the framework and associated data products in several African countries, including Ghana and Zambia, in partnership with national hydrometeorological services, and leaders in the financial and agricultural sectors. Currently the framework exists as a set of research level code, which can only be run within the TAMSAT group. The proposed project will develop TAMSAT-ALERT into a platform, which can be utilized by the agricultural and financial sectors in Africa and beyond - bridging the gap between research level products and an operational tool. To engage a wide community of stakeholders, the platform will be served through a website, a smartphone app and R/python packages. Our vision is a set of sustainable technologies that can be exploited independently of the project investigators for societal good. *Tropical Applications of Meteorology using SATellite data and ground observations - AgricuLtural dEcision suppoRT system

The GCRF African Science for Weather Information and Forecasting Techniques (GCRF African-SWIFT) programme aims to develop a sustainable research capability in tropical weather forecasting which will enhance the livelihood of African populations and improve the economies of their countries. Improved forecasts will address key aspects of the UK Aid strategy. The results will be translatable beyond the partner countries to other nations of Africa and the developing world more widely. In order to improve African weather prediction, fundamental scientific research is needed, in the physics of tropical weather systems, evaluation and presentation of complex model and satellite data, and communication and exploitation of forecasts. The programme will develop research capability to yield ongoing forecasting improvements in the coming decades. The overall aims of the project are to: I. Make research advances needed for significant improvements in weather forecasts in Africa, and the tropics more generally, from the hourly to the seasonal timescale. II. Build capability among UK and African partners to improve, maintain and evaluate operational tropical forecasts in future. III. Assist African partners in developing capacity for sustained training of forecasters, in partnership with African academic institutions and international agencies. Our strategy to increase research capability with societal impact is to build upon existing partnerships between forecasting centres and universities within four partner countries (Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya) and within the UK. In-country partnerships combine the strengths of academic and operational perspectives and provide sustainability. The project is embedded within the long-term structures and strategies for international coordination for the region. Specifically, our programme addresses the aims of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO; project partner). The potential applications and benefits are: A. New research capability in observing, modelling and evaluating forecasts of tropical high-impact weather; B. Robust networks of African scientists with capability to advance the science in this field, and pull the science through into operational impact; C. Significant improvements in weather forecasts, as evaluated using tested methods; D. New forecasting tools used operationally for short-term (0-120h) and S2S prediction; E. Significant impact on the regional strategy for provision of user-focussed, quality-controlled weather forecasts, as overseen by the WMO; F. More effective use of weather forecasts to the benefit of African people and nations.

ERADACS is a novel, multi-disciplinary project that brings together: - a light-weight but powerful forecast system, state-of-the-art land surface data assimilation using NASA soil moisture data - new methods for visualizing and communicating forecasts, co-developed with farmers in Africa - socioeconomic studies on building resilience through early warning and incentivizing action on forecasts The project will be led by the University of Reading and carried out in partnership the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), a leading Ghanaian university; and Evidence for Development, a well-established NGO. The impact of agricultural drought on the world's poorest communities can be devastating. Changes in weather patterns due to changing climate can mean that decisions about when to plant and how to manage crops based on experience of weather in recent years are not reliable. Timely forecasts of the developing likelihood of agricultural drought have the potential to have a significant positive impact on the lives of small-scale farmers and their surrounding communities during such events. The ERADACS project will develop a forecast system for agricultural drought using multiple streams of satellite data, the Met Office land surface model (JULES) and state-of-the-art mathematical techniques (Data Assimilation) to combine these. The resulting forecast will use climatological information from the 30 year TAMSAT data record to predict likely trajectories of rainfall. These seasonal forecasts will be produced across Ghana and made available openly via the TAMSAT website. Beyond the lifetime of the ERADACS project we will sustain the forecast system via the operational TAMSAT platform. A key aspect of the ERADACS project will be a pilot of how this information might be useful to specific communities in Ghana that are reliant on subsistence farming practices. We will visit and collect socioeconomic information from a number of communities to establish their vulnerability to agricultural drought as well as using serious game play to elicit likely responses. Our forecasts, and their likely uncertainties, will be discussed with the farmers and we will trial different methods of presenting this data. We will use feedback from these groups to refine the means of communication and to tailor the information produced from the forecast system. The work in Ghana will be carried out by KNUST and Evidence for Development, both of whom have many years experience of capacity building in Africa.

Agriculture is the foundation of the livelihoods of billions of people worldwide, including African rural and urban households, farming communities, and cities. However, weather and climate risks have increased, creating a need for better access to climate and weather information, soil water management, insurance, and other climate-agricultural services. Although some services exist, they are often separated and follow a top-down information provision that operates on a national scale. SAFE4ALL aims to address the interconnected issues of climate change, food security, ecosystem and disaster management, and migration in Africa by providing user-centred climate services. It will innovate and bundle affordable, and scalable services that include location-specific information to meet the needs of end-users in Kenya, Ghana and Zimbabwe. Three co-creation case studies will be organized in these vulnerable African countries, engaging with small-scale farming communities, municipalities, and cities. SAFE4ALL will coordinate efforts from governments, civil society, academia, and international organizations to mobilize the capacity of end-users, build food security and resilience, promote sustainable agriculture, and provide social safety nets to affected localities. Specific objectives include establishing a collaborative, co-creation, and engagement platform for the prioritization and co-development of needs-based climate services, identifying adaptation challenges, requirements, and enabling factors and complementing policies in adapting to the wider socio-economic environment, and exploring and harnessing existing services to improve the uptake and effectiveness of climate services and develop sustainable business and implementation models for services. The outcomes aim to manage migration to cities by ensuring that communities are better equipped to adapt and cope with the impacts of climate change while enhancing food security in a rapidly changing world.