Description: Analyzing historical rainfall resulted in a definition of the start of the rain season for every unique location in the tropics.
In many of the tropical regions, annual rainfall is dominated by the monsoon and the precipitation regimes induced by the overpassing sun. These regions are characterised by a wet season that lasts a couple of months. Within these months, the total rainfall budget for that year is received.
Agriculture is deeply dependent on weather, with farmers needing a steady mixture of sun, warmth and rains in order to reliably produce food. For farmers in tropical regions, who are dependent on natural rainfall for their annual production, the timing in the onset of the rains drives the optimal planting window. Yield variations are for 80% determined by weather. When farmers know beforehand when the rains will start, they can optimise their sowing schedule. When sowing takes place just before an unexpecte
Two years ago, at Weather Impact, we formulated the ambition to deliver accurate and reliable information on the start of the rain season to the farmers who receive our conventional weather forecasts. This product should inform a farmer if the rain season would start within the next 10 days. This is unique source of information that conventional weather apps do not provide, yet it is the main desire of many farmers to have access to. In 2020 we finished the first version of this product, which we will pilot