Online Crop Calendar Helps Indonesian Government Manage Climate Risk

The International Research Institute for Climate and Society and the Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development at Columbia University are collaborating with the Centre for Climate Risk and Opportunity Management in Southeast Asia Pacific at Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB – Bogor Agriculture University) in Indonesia to help farmers cope with droughts, fires and other climate impacts. The project, called “CU-IPB Partnership to Build Capacity for Adaptation to Climate Risks in Indonesia”, is funded by the US Agency for International Development. In addition to work on climate-related fire risk management and index insurance for agriculture, the research team is developing a dynamic crop calendar system that will allow agriculture professionals  to adjust cropping strategies based on forecasted climate conditions.  The system includes an online tool that serves as a drought early warning system.

In this video, IPB team leader Prof. Rizaldi Boer explains the motivation behind developing the calendar and how it can help users better quantify the amount of agricultural land expected to be affected by drought in the coming months. Government agencies and other decision makers can use this information for planning and risk management strategies for growing rice. The teams at Columbia University and IPB are working closely with local government and other stakeholders in Indramayu, Indonesia to pilot this system and improve climate-informed agriculture decision making.