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Use of Digital Tools in Fighting Climate Change: A Review of Best Practices
Abstract and Figures
The main objective of this analytical paper is to give an overview of how governments around the globe use information and communication technologies (ICTs) and digitalization in tackling climate change challenges through adaptation and mitigation measures. More specifically, the paper gives a broad introduction to the issues of digitalization, climate change and their relevance for developing countries’ governments. Then it proceeds with highlighting the main ICT tools in climate change monitoring, analysis and disaster management such as geographic information systems, remote sensing, broadband, wireless sensor network technologies and internet of things, LiDAR, climate change modeling, crowdsourcing, and many others, including early warning systems. Most of the case studies in this paper highlight examples of public-private partnerships in deployment of ICTs for climate change adaptation and mitigation activities. This reflects the complex and multifaceted nature of climate change and the need for multi-stakeholder approach in tackling climate-related hazards and vulnerabilities. The third part of the paper consists of deep dives that analyze the use of ICTs for climate change mitigation and adaptation in the following sectors: health, urban development at the city and community levels, agriculture, and at specific delivery vectors such as cash transfers. The fourth part of the paper gives an overview of the main impacts behind an increased use of ICTs on the environment, while exploring the factors that would lead to the greening ICTs. The last part of the paper outlines public policy recommendations for the use of ICT tools by governments in tackling climate change challenges.
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... Such data sets facilitate advance drought mitigation activities, enabling water conservation measures to be implemented as well as improved irrigation scheduling, by policymakers as well as by extension agents (Rudnick et al., 2020) [92] . Satellite imagery aids early warning of impending water deficit, enabling the farmer to suitably modify their cropping pattern by adjusting to expectant water dearth, so improving climate variability resilience (Stankovic et al., 2022) [98] . ...
... Such data sets facilitate advance drought mitigation activities, enabling water conservation measures to be implemented as well as improved irrigation scheduling, by policymakers as well as by extension agents (Rudnick et al., 2020) [92] . Satellite imagery aids early warning of impending water deficit, enabling the farmer to suitably modify their cropping pattern by adjusting to expectant water dearth, so improving climate variability resilience (Stankovic et al., 2022) [98] . ...
Extension services in agriculture are responsible for the transmission of knowledge, technology, and innovations to farmers, which finally leads to enhancing agricultural productivity and sustainability. Utilization of the latest technologies like drones and satellite imaging has revolutionized contemporary agriculture by increasing precision agriculture, tracking crop health, optimizing resource usage, and lowering environmental footprints. These technologies are capable of supplying real-time high-resolution data that allows extension agents and farmers to make the best decisions. Also, drones and satellite imaging can aid in disaster response, soil analysis, and effective farm management. This review discusses the contributions of these technologies to agricultural extension, emphasizing their benefits, shortcomings, and possibilities for sustainable technology-based agriculture.
... Regarding the effects of climate change on agriculture, climate variables exhibit both negative and positive relationships with agricultural production in different regions. Stankovic et al. (2021) applied 19 replicates of various climate settings to predict the negative effect of climate change on global agricultural welfare after 2050. Chandio et al. (2020b) examined the effects of climate change on rice production in Pakistan. ...
Purpose
Climate change negatively affects agriculture and food security, and jeopardizes Myanmar's agriculture, which is vital to ensure food security, rural livelihoods, and the economy. This study explores the asymmetric impacts of climate change on Myanmar's agricultural sector.
Design/methodology/approach
We utilize the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) approach for the years 1991–2020, the Wald test to validate the asymmetric relationship between climate change and agriculture, and the FMOLS and DOLS approaches to confirm the validity of the outcomes.
Findings
Our findings reveal that temperature has a positive impact on Myanmar's agriculture, whereas rainfall and CO2 have negative effects over the long and short terms. Evidently, decreasing temperatures more favorably impact agriculture than increasing temperatures, while increasing rainfall more negatively impacts agriculture than decreasing rainfall. Increasing carbon emissions have a more detrimental effect on agriculture than decreasing them.
Research limitations/implications
We gathered data over periods longer than 30 years to provide more robust findings. However, owing to data limitations, such as missing values or unavailability, the study period spans from 1991 to 2020.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the existing literature on the asymmetric effects of climatic and non-climatic factors on agriculture. It is the first study in Myanmar to use the NARDL approach to measuring the effects of climate change on both the agricultural gross production index and value, providing robust findings.
... Furthermore, timely weather information allows resource-constrained farmers to avoid weatherrelated risks. In this scenario, automation using ICT tools will reduce human intervention while increasing the timely delivery of alerts (Stankovic et al., 2022). On a positive note, rapid advancements in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have made responsive farming a realistic alternative for climate change and variability adaptation techniques. ...
Background: In peninsular India, the frequency of climate-related risks is significantly lowering agricultural productivity and farmers’ standard of living. Reducing losses in the agriculture sector requires precise and timely weather information, weather based advisories on crop production, protection and post-harvest. Disseminating agromet advisories directly to the farmers using ICT tools allows farmers to adopt appropriate corrective measures, minimize loss and ensure climate resilient agriculture. In this sense, the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University established an Automated Agromet Advisory Web cum Mobile App (TNAU-AAS) in 2018, which sends location, crop and stage specific agromet advisories directly to farmers’ mobile App. Methods: TNAU-AAS App was evaluated in pulse crops as “Piloting pulse produce support system through ICT enabled services” between 2019 and 2021 in three TNAU centers under three different eco systems namely irrigated (Coimbatore), rice fallow (Aduthurai) and rainfed (Kovilpatti). Pulse growing farmers were registered in this smartphone application for agromet advisory based response farming. Result: The TNAU-AAS App had delivered approximately 10-12 advisories to each farmer, tailored to their unique crop and stage during the cropping period. Survey results inferred that the farmers received timely notifications on their mobile phones, 2-3 days in advance, which assisted them in preplanning. Occurrences of pests and diseases were well aligned (68-83%) with TNAU- AAS recommendations and the climate vulnerability of non AAS farmers is more than AAS farmer. According to partial budget analysis, the irrigated, rice fallow and rainfed black gram farmers have gained Rs. 2800, Rs. 2300 and Rs. 1900 per ha, respectively. It is concluded that the ICT-enabled agromet advisory system guarantees timely alerts, boosts labor and land productivity, lowers input loss and shields crops from weather-induced pests and diseases as well as climatic variability risk.
... This data enables farmers, scientists, and policymakers to make informed decisions by offering insightful information on crop well-being, patterns of land use, insurance (Ramm et al., 2018) and environmental conditions. Stakeholders can adjust agricultural practices concerning changing climate conditions using digital tools incorporating climate models and real-time data, promoting resilience in the face of environmental uncertainties (Stankovic et al., 2022). Agriculture's contributions to food security, poverty reduction, and environmental sustainability make it essential to achieving several SDGs. ...
The report presents the prime aims, objectives, discussions and insights from the “Training Workshop on Digital Data and Tools for Managing Agriculture: Focusing on Earth Observation Data and Climate Change” organized at IIIT Bhubaneshwar from 21st to 23rd December 2023. The workshop was attended by 81 participants and jointly conducted by IIIT Bhubaneshwar, IWMI, and IEEE GRSS Kolkata Chapter. The primary objective of the workshop was to equip participants with practical skills and knowledge to utilize digital data and tools, especially Earth observation data, for effective agricultural management in the context of climate change and make evidence-based decisions to confront challenges in the food system, urban water pollution, GHG emissions & nexus. The programme encompassed the challenges posed by population growth, climate change and urbanization on the water, food and energy nexus, and the need to address the complexities to achieve sustainable development and mitigate environmental impacts is necessary. Through various sessions, the workshop highlighted concerns about GHG emissions and their mitigation by transitioning to renewable energy, carbon capture and storage, water hyacinth mapping in urban and peri-urban wetlands, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) applications for rice mapping, flood damage assessment, maternal, infant and young children nutrition deficit under extreme weather conditions, agricultural data collection tools and sustainable agriculture practices.
The CGIAR’s Mitigate+: Low-Emission Food Systems Initiative focuses on reducing emissions from the food systems by developing robust science, data, and evidence (among other activities). Another initiative by CGIAR on Resilient Cities generates evidence, technologies, and capacities that help improve urban food systems and secure equitable job and business opportunities, healthy diets for all, human and environmental health, and a reduced carbon footprint. Both initiatives provided resources to support the training workshop to empower students, researchers, scientists, academicians, decision-makers, and policymakers with cutting-edge knowledge and tools to integrate digital data into agricultural management practices. Participants learned about the latest advancements in Earth observation technologies, big data analytics, and digital tools that can help predict and make robust, evidence-based decisions as they confront challenges in the food system, urban water pollution, strategies to reduce GHG emissions, and tackling the nexus challenges. Thus, the workshop was envisioned as a catalyst to empower the agricultural community with digital tools and data, fostering resilience and productivity in the face of climate change.
The criticality of Earth Observation (EO) data and digital tools in informing agricultural management decisions was rigorously examined and elucidated through a comprehensive program comprising six keynote addresses, nine scholarly lectures and six practical demonstrations, all facilitated by esteemed national (including IIT Guwahati, IIWM, Assam University, OSDMA, SAADRI, and SPARC) and international institutions (such as IWMI, World Bank, and DLR). A pre-event catch up with the participants was held on the first day session as a social ice-breaking session. The discourse was further enriched by an expert panel discussion on the ‘Role of Digital Tools in Mitigating Climate Change Effects on Agriculture’, an intensive brainstorming session entitled ‘Data Science and Sustainability Challenge’ and a showcase of research presentation by the participants. These engagements highlighted the practical and innovative usages of EO data for managing agriculture in the context of climatic challenges and emphasized how such strategic applications contribute towards attaining the SDGs.
Of the 82 participants, 63% are male, and 37% are female. Among the attendees, 52% were at the graduate and post-graduate level, while 26% of the participants were research scholars from various Indian institutions. Of the other participants, 22% were faculty and professionals. This diversity of participants demonstrates the programme’s appeal to different professionals and researchers. The participants come from multiple institutions, including renowned universities and research centres across India like IIT Roorkee, BIT Mesra, ISI Kolkata, Techno Main Salt Lake, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Mandi, Fakir Mohan University, KIIT, and many more. This institutional diversity indicates the programme’s broader reach and appeal among academic and research organizations. These analytics provide valuable insights into the participants’ gender distribution, designations, education levels, and institutional affiliations.
The inclusivity and diversity, reflected in gender representation and institutional affiliations, created a dynamic and comprehensive learning community. The diverse curriculum gave them valuable knowledge and skills to solve real-life challenges associated with major natural disasters.
... However, despite the benefits of forests and trees, deforestation and desertification continue at a high rate due to human activities and climate change, endangering millions of people [27].Similarly, several studies demonstrate that ICT has been recognized to combat climate change [28][29][30] by revealing changing climate signals, analyzing, and modeling climate change; and implementing mitigation and adaptation measures to improve human resilience. Cutting-edge ICT innovations have been identified as practical means of combating climate change [29,31,32]. Literature indicates that ICTs have been utilized in sustainable forest management (SFM) for mapping and monitoring forest resources and environmental threats and promoting sustainable forestry practices [33]. ...
The 2030 global agenda of the United Nations emphasizes peace, human rights, gender equality, partnership, and women's empowerment. It balances the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. The SDG framework was designed to be integrated and indivisible, making the interconnections of 17 Goals and 169 Sustainable Development Goals Targets (SDTs) more complex that need extensive and intensive investigative research. Recent studies have increased on the interrelationships of SDGs, but none of these have focused on integrating Climate Change (CC), Sustainable Forest Management (SFM), and Information and Communication Technology (ICT), also known as CSI Nexus. This study aims to investigate and identify the 169 SDTs linked to CC, SFM, and ICT and assesses the significance of the relationships between these variables. The alignment of SDTs to CSI Nexus was identified through clustering and mapping techniques. The result argued that 56 SDTs are directly connected within CC+SFM+ICT, 16 within CC+SFM, one within SFM+ICT, and 51 within ICT+CC. Our result suggests that CC is significantly associated with SFM; however, ICT has no significant association with CC and SFM. It further asserts that the ICT and SFM have minimal influence on the SDG 2030 framework. The proposed CSI Nexus and SDTs Integration Framework was a science-informed guide for priority-setting, policy coherence, and decision-making supporting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. This study does not include interactions, network analysis and visualization, simulations, and modeling between SDG targets.
Climate change imposes significant agricultural obstacles, impacting productivity, water resources, crop, and soil health. This chapter explores these impacts and highlights the significance of innovative approaches to enhance resilience. The chapter started with a general view of climate change and its adverse effects on agriculture. It was indicated that smart technologies are crucial in reducing these effects. Some of these techniques like precision agriculture, the Internet of Things (IoT) enabled farming, data analytics, vertical farming, robotic farming, blockchain in supply chain management, smart irrigation systems, livestock monitoring, mobile applications, and farm management software are discussed for their capability to improve resource use and enhance productivity. Moreover, the chapter covers practical applications such as climate-resilient crop selection, adaptive irrigation management, drought monitoring, and climate-smart pest and disease management to enhance climate resilience in conjunction with soil health management, agroforestry, windbreaks, carbon sequestration practices, weather index insurance, and risk management strategies in detail and emphasized the importance of knowledge sharing and capacity building. Agriculture can endure climate change by utilizing these smart solutions, promoting sustainability and food security. This holistic strategy empowers farmers to deal with the challenges of a changing climate and strengthens a resilient agricultural future.
Climate-related migration is an increasingly critical global issue as changes in environmental conditions force people to relocate. Understanding and tracking migration patterns linked to climate change presents both a challenge and an opportunity for informed policy development. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have emerged as a powerful tool for analyzing spatial and temporal migration data. This paper explores the integration of GIS technology into the study of climate-induced migration patterns, offering a comprehensive overview of how GIS can improve data collection, visualization, and analysis. Through a review of current literature and case studies, the paper identifies key areas where GIS has contributed to tracking migration and the subsequent formulation of policies. The paper further discusses the potential of GIS in enhancing predictive models and supporting proactive policy interventions to mitigate the impact of climate-related migration. It concludes with recommendations for future research and the adoption of GIS-based tools in policymaking to address the growing challenges posed by climate-induced human displacement.
The 2030 global agenda for sustainable development integrates social, economic, and environmental dimensions, emphasizing peace, human rights, gender equality, and women’s empowerment. The SDG framework, consisting of 17 goals, 169 targets (SDTs), and 231 indicators (SDIs), forms a complex, interconnected network that necessitates extensive research. Despite prior studies on SDG interlinkages, the integration of Climate Change (CC), Sustainable Forest Management (SFM), and Information and Communication Technology (ICT), collectively known as CSI Nexus, remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by identifying SDTs aligned with CC, SFM, and ICT (CSI) and analyzing their linkages within the SDG framework using a systems thinking approach. The objectives are to (1) investigate and identify SDTs connected with the CSI Nexus and (2) assess the significant relationship between and among CC, SFM, and ICT. The primary method involves a simplified meta-analysis and systems thinking approach incorporating content analysis, network visualization, affiliation matrix mapping, frequency distributions, and Spearman’s rho correlation. Results reveal 56 SDTs directly connected within CC + SFM + ICT, 16 within CC + SFM, one within SFM + ICT, and 51 within ICT + CC. The analysis indicates CC is significantly associated with SFM, while ICT has no significant association with CC and SFM, asserting minimal influence of ICT and SFM on the SDG 2030 framework. This research provides significant insights for decision-makers and stakeholders, contributing as a science-informed guide for priority-setting, policy coherence, and decision-making supporting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals across sectors.
The 2030 global agenda for sustainable development integrates social, economic, and environmental dimensions, emphasizing peace, human rights, gender equality, and women’s empowerment. The SDG framework, consisting of 17 goals, 169 targets (SDTs), and 231 indicators (SDIs), forms a complex, interconnected network that necessitates extensive research. Despite prior studies on SDG interlinkages, the integration of Climate Change (CC), Sustainable Forest Management (SFM), and Information and Communication Technology (ICT), collectively known as CSI Nexus, remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by identifying SDTs aligned with CC, SFM, and ICT (CSI) and analyzing their linkages within the SDG framework using a systems thinking approach. The objectives are to (1) investigate and identify SDTs connected with the CSI Nexus and (2) assess the significant relationship between and among CC, SFM, and ICT. The primary method involves a simplified meta-analysis and systems thinking approach incorporating content analysis, network visualization, affiliation matrix mapping, frequency distributions, and Spearman’s rho correlation. Results reveal 56 SDTs directly connected within CC + SFM + ICT, 16 within CC + SFM, one within SFM + ICT, and 51 within ICT + CC. The analysis indicates CC is significantly associated with SFM, while ICT has no significant association with CC and SFM, asserting minimal influence of ICT and SFM on the SDG 2030 framework. This research provides significant insights for decision-makers and stakeholders, contributing as a science-informed guide for priority-setting, policy coherence, and decision-making supporting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals across sectors.
We review the state of ICT and its impact on agricultural development in developing countries, documenting the rapid changes that have taken place over the last decade. Although there is still a wide gap in access between rural and urban areas, the spread of mobile phones in rural areas has led to important changes in the agricultural sector. We find that access to mobile phones has generally improved agricultural market performance at the macro level; impacts at the micro level are mixed. There is also still limited evidence regarding the impact of market information systems (MIS) delivered through mobile phones on farm prices. Similarly, the rollout of extension programs though ICTs is still in an early stage, and little research is available regarding such programs' impacts.
Number of Mobile Subscribers his 5BN-GSMA
- N Ismail
Ismail, N (2017) Number of Mobile Subscribers his 5BN-GSMA, https://www.information-age.com/number-mobile-subscribers-hits-5bn-gsma-123466758/.
Episurveyor is designed for organizations wishing to undertake surveys in the communities they work with. It was originally designed for organizations working in the health field
Episurveyor is designed for organizations wishing to undertake surveys in the communities they work with. It was originally designed
for organizations working in the health field. More at: https://mobiles.tacticaltech.org/Episurveyor.html; DataDyne (2005) The
EpiSurveyor Project, https://siteresources.worldbank.org/DEVMARKETPLACE/Resources/205097-1099409088482/Brief-DataDyneEpiSurveyor.pdf.
Mobile Phones and AI Vie to Update Early Disaster Warning Systems
- T Perol
Perol, T et al. (2018) Convolutional Neural Network for Earthquake Detection and Location,
http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/2/e1700578.full; Fildes, N (2018) Mobile Phones and AI Vie to Update Early Disaster
Warning Systems, https://www.ft.com/content/4949829c-1293-11e8-a765-993b2440bd73.