Phenology Simulation to Reduce Climate Risk in Agriculture: Engaging Farmers in the Southeast U.S. Though a Participatory Process.

Farmers often wonder about the probability of within-season extremes in weather conditions, particularly during sensitive stages of crop development, such as emergence and flowering. Crop model-based tools and decision support systems can be used to help farmers identify strategies to make the best use of scarce natural resources under variable climate conditions. However, the development and adoption of a decision support tool for the management of agricultural systems is almost guaranteed to fail unless farmers and extension agents are engaged from the onset. This study details the participatory process by which researchers, extension agents and producers from Florida, Georgia and Alabama engaged in the development and implementation of a field-specific phenology-based decision support tool featuring 1) A web-based pre-season strategic planning component and 2) A mobile phone application for within-season monitoring of crop development and real time weather conditions. First, researchers shared the vision: “How to use phenology simulation for decision support and why?” with the group. Key terms were defined and participants were introduced to the technical aspects of the tool. Farmers’ were asked to share their knowledge and experience regarding climate-related stresses at various stages of crop development, and initial feedback was collected on the perceived value of the phenology tool for decision support. Skepticism about tool performance was addressed by testing model performance against measured data from on-farm cotton, corn and soybean trials during the 2016 growing season. As of August 2016, the timing of several key phenological stages, including V3, V6, V9, Vt, dent and physiological maturity have been successfully simulated for corn, and a historical climate risk analysis is underway. Knowledge gained is being discussed with our collaborators with respect to tool development and potential for adoption. It is our hope that this process will inform future climate science education and science application efforts.