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PRESS ROOM
Calendar 4/3/2024

Agroclimate, a tool for analyzing risks in the face of a weakening El Niño phenomenon

Agroclima, una herramienta para analizar los riesgos ante un fenómeno de El Niño que se debilita
The Agronet information system offers field producers a microsite containing climate variables so that they can act promptly and minimize risks.

Bogotá D.C., (@Minagricultura, @UPRAColombia, @claudialili76, @AgronetMADR). The El Niño phenomenon experienced in Colombia since November 2023 has begun to weaken, as warned by Ideam in its most recent analysis; it also reported that the La Niña phenomenon could manifest itself from June of this year onwards. In effect, field producers must begin their plan to mitigate the impacts on crop yields, livestock losses, or crop destruction.
 
Eduin Yesid Carrillo, a professional from the Agricultural and Rural Planning Unit (UPRA) and leader of the Colombian agricultural sector's information and communication network strategy, Agronet, stated that "a section or microsite on the web called Agroclima has been made available; a tool coordinated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR), UPRA, Ideam, and other national and international entities so that both small producers and decision-makers have access to daily and continuous climate information in all regions of the country. In Agroclima, they can consult everything from the daily weather forecast to agroclimatic bulletins and technical documents on irrigation districts."
 
Around 742 municipalities in Colombia were exposed or affected by the El Niño phenomenon, mainly in the Caribbean region, the middle Magdalena, and the southwest of the country. According to analyses by the Climate Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a 2°C oceanic index is the value with which El Niño closed in January and begins to decrease between March and April. This neutral phase brings with it the warning of a shift towards the cold phase, known as the La Niña phenomenon. 
 

From El Niño to La Niña, how can we mitigate the impact on the agricultural sector?

 
Here are some recommendations that the community can implement to mitigate the effects of La Niña and avoid significant impacts that the agricultural and forestry sector usually records, according to the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management:
 
  • Do not cultivate in flood-prone areas such as riverbanks and surrounding swamps. ​
  • If you allocate flood-prone land for crops, do so considering that you can harvest and collect products before the next flood season.
  • Vulnerable riparian lands should be secured with natural or artificial protection barriers (vegetation, sandbags, etc.); for this, proper advice should be sought.
  • All farmers and ranchers nationwide, especially those located in the Caribbean and Andean regions, should consider a possible increase in water supply and the formation of flooding in low-drainage areas.
  • Plan accordingly for the development of pests and diseases typical of conditions with higher precipitation and low radiation in much of the Caribbean and Andean regions.
  • Pay attention to high-gradient rivers in the Andean region and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, facing the possibility of sudden increases; as well as the probability of slow floods in the middle and lower basins of the Magdalena and Cauca rivers, and the Sinú and San Jorge rivers, among others.
  • If you are a rancher, prevent animals from coming into contact with sewage or retained water during the r​ainy season; when they are near rivers, do not neglect them in the face of the risk of sudden increases.
  • Consider that hydroclimatic conditions favor, in some areas of the country, an increase in cases of viral and respiratory diseases.
  • Do not allow garbage to accumulate inside or outside your living area; move it to an area outside the possible affected area.  
Stay informed on the Agroclima microsite, which you can access by visiting www.agronet.gov.c​o​