Operational Agricultural Meteorology: A Realm for Sustainable Livelihoods

Operational Agricultural Meteorology: A Realm for Sustainable Livelihoods offers a comprehensive exploration of the intersection between meteorology and agriculture, emphasizing its vital role in enhancing productivity, resilience, and sustainability across farming systems. In a time of growing climate uncertainty, this book brings to light the essential services and tools that agricultural meteorology provides to support informed decision-making at the farm, institutional, and policy levels. The book delves into the principles and practices of operational agricultural meteorology, covering topics such as weather and climate forecasting, agro-advisory services, early warning systems, agrometeorological data collection, and the integration of modern technologies like remote sensing, GIS, and AI-based analytics. It highlights how timely and location-specific weather and climate information can significantly reduce agricultural risks, improve resource management, and contribute to sustainable livelihoods—particularly for smallholder and resource-poor farmers. Rich with real-world examples, case studies, and actionable insights, this volume provides readers with both theoretical foundations and practical guidance. It serves as a vital resource for students, researchers, extension professionals, meteorologists, development practitioners, and policymakers working at the nexus of agriculture, environment, and rural development. At its core, this book is a call to action: to strengthen the bridge between science and service, between forecast and farm, and between climate knowledge and community resilience. Through this lens, Operational Agricultural Meteorology becomes not just a field of study-but a transformative force for sustainable livelihoods and food security in a changing world.

Book Contents:

1. Introduction
2. Operational Agricultural Meteorology: Concepts and Components
3. The Capricious Skies: Understanding Weather from a Farmer‘s Perspective
4. Farmers Climate Awareness
5. Development of Operational Agrometeorological Advisories – Key Concerns
6. Complexities in Farmers Decision Making based on Weather Forecasts
7. Extreme Weather Events, Hazards and Disasters
8. Research Priorities for Operational Agrometeorological Advisories
9. Classification of Crops and Farmers
10. Climate : Cropping and Farming Systems
11. Operational Agricultural Meteorology: A System Analysis Approach
12. Linkages between Government Agencies and Public Funded Organizations
13. Skill Advancement and Knowledge Empowerment (SAKE)
14. Harvest for Future