Boosting food security on the Indian subcontinent using seasonal climate forecasts and crop production systems models was the basis of a recent pilot training project run by leading Queensland scientists.
Project coordinator and lead trainer with the Department of Primary Industries' Agency for Food and Fibre Sciences, Dr Holger Meinke, said the two-week Queensland-based workshop involved leading scientists from Australia, the United States, Pakistan and India.
"The course formed a core component of a pilot project to identify how agricultural climatology can be used to assess its impact on crop production and, therefore, food supply," Dr Meinke said.
"We expect this pilot project will lead to an ongoing, large-scale project covering the whole Asia-Pacific region."
The pilot project was arranged as part of a larger project funded by the Asia Pacific Network (APN) and Global Change System for Analysis, Research and Training (START). Both bodies are affiliated with the United Nations.
Other project collaborators and supporters include the International Research Institute for Climate Prediction based in the United States, the Indian Institute of Sciences, the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in India and the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council.
Dr Meinke said that Queensland was internationally recognised as the leading laboratory and training ground for this combined approach.
"The rest of the world is recognising that they can benefit from our achievements by investing in training with our scientists, reinforcing the reputation of Queensland as a world centre of excellence in this type of work," he said.
"By working closely with other leading international scientist in the fields of agriculture and climatology, we can also benefit from their experience, to the benefit of Queensland agriculture."
He said that this first course was already proving that the "Queensland Approach" could work effectively elsewhere.
The "Queensland Approach" had two key elements that support this type of applied research, Dr Meinke said.
He said: "One of these is the climate forecasting methods based on the Southern Oscillation Index that was developed by Dr Roger Stone of the Agency's Queensland Centre for Climate Applications.
"The other is our crop-production-system modelling capacity using the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator computer program developed by the Agricultural Production Systems Unit (APSRU).
"APSRU a collaborative DPI, DNR and CSIRO venture, has been successful in combining cropping systems analysis with season climate forecasting to help improve agricultural performance in Queensland for a number of years.
"By applying these tools in real world situations, workshop participants gained an understanding of the huge benefits they can provide for their countries on a regional and national scale."
Dr Meinke said that, in many areas of Pakistan and India, use of this knowledge had the potential to substantially increase food security through better decisions regarding planting dates, crop types or rotations and management (pest, diseases, fertilisers) based on expected seasonal climate outlooks.
"The importance of this work on subsistence farming communities can be measured in the amount of food those communities have to eat reliably, without harmful environmental effects such as ground water pollution or erosion," he said.
"Helping these nations to minimise poverty also creates future markets for Queensland.
"The outcome of the pilot project is envisaged to be a large-scale multi-disciplinary research project centred on Queensland, but with operational nodes throughout the Asia-Pacific region and possibly other parts of the world."