A4 Refereed article in a conference publication
Towards holistic mobile climate services for farmers in Tambuu, Tanzania
Authors: Myllynpää V., Misaki E., Apiola M., Helminen J., Dayoub M., Westerlund T., Sutinen E.
Editors: Petter Nielsen Honest, Christopher Kimaro
Conference name: International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries
Publisher: Springer New York LLC
Publication year: 2019
Journal: IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology
Book title : Information and Communication Technologies for Development. Strengthening Southern-Driven Cooperation as a Catalyst for ICT4D
Journal name in source: IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology
Series title: IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology
Volume: 551
First page : 508
Last page: 519
Number of pages: 12
ISBN: 978-3-030-18399-8
eISBN: 978-3-030-18400-1
ISSN: 1868-4238
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18400-1_42
Climate change and changing climate variability are pressing problems that need urgent solutions, now! Climate change has global consequences, and is already being experienced, mainly by the most vulnerable groups of people in the global south. Research shows that farming activities in the global south are being complicated by added uncertainties in weather. To mitigate the effect of weather uncertainties, there is a need for holistic mobile climate services. We have taken the first step towards the service by finding out the local information needs and current mobile usage patterns in Tambuu village, Tanzania. The results show that climate change is already complicating farmers’ lives and therefore they have urgent need for information on how to prepare and adapt to changing conditions. From the technology perspective, the domination of voice calls and short messages in the current mobile usage limits the adoption of new services. However, modern uses of smart devices for farming activities were also found. Building on this ground, we propose designing climate service prototypes together with local farmers and other relevant stakeholders.