Objectives

The indicators of the agro-hydro-meteorological subsystem are mainly used to monitor the agro-pastoral season, with a view to regularly informing the technical and administrative authorities, stakeholders in the field and technical and financial partners, at both regional and national levels, of the current situation. For this purpose, rainfall, hydrological and crop and vegetation conditions are analysed using indicators in the form of maps or evolution graphs. The situation in the various sectors is described in terms of delay or advance, deficit or excess compared to a normal situation (generally the average of thirty years, or in default of the average of available years). These analyses give rise to regular publications such as the ten-year agro-hydro-meteorological newsletters of the multidisciplinary working groups (MDWGs) of the countries or the monthly publications of The Centre Regional AGRHYMET , which are disseminated by several media (radio and television broadcasts in the countries, electronic messaging and websites). Special alert bulletins are developed and issued as required..

The data come from meteorological and hydrological service measurement networks (rainfall, temperatures, solar radiation, air humidity, wind speeds, river flows) or, in the absence of estimates using satellite images or climate models. Many derived indicators are derived from crop growth simulation models or climate and/or hydrological data analysis software.