Researchers are developing a ‘dashboard’ to give Pacific Island communities better access to information that can help build the resilience of agriculture and forestry to climate change.

“Agriculture and agroforestry are important activities for small islands to ensure food security and human health,” says a summary of the project on the US Department of the Interior’s (DOI) website.

Island communities practicing agriculture are increasingly faced with challenges associated with climate change, such as seawater intrusion, changes in precipitation, sea level rise, increasing air temperature and invasive species.

Of particular concern is the unpredictability of environmental changes, making it difficult to follow traditional planting schedules or determine which species/cultivars are best to produce for a given situation.

The dashboard being developed with support from the DOI Pacific Islands Climate Science Center will provide a range of relevant data to users in an accessible format. It is particularly targeted at extension agents, government personnel and educators that support the agriculture and forestry sectors.

Read the full story: Researchers to Develop "Dashboard" for Understanding Climate Change and Agroforestry in the Marshall Islands