SIMAGRI: An agro-climate decision support tool

Managing climate-related risks is one of the key components of enhancing agricultural resilience and productivity under increasingly variable and changing climate. In this study, a decision support tool, SIMAGRI, was developed to translate climate information into agricultural and economic terms that can support strategic and tactical decisions in crop production e.g., crop choices, agricultural management practices, insurance needs, among others. The SIMAGRI helps users to run crop simulation models for three target crops (maize, soybean and wheat) with representative management options, based on historical climate data and probabilistic seasonal climate forecasts. The user-friendly interface of SIMAGRI allows users to compare results of several management practices (e.g., planting dates, crops and cultivars, fertilizer/irrigation application, etc.) given a climate condition, and thus help identify appropriate mixes of production options, which can increase (reduce) positive (negative) impacts of current and future climatic conditions. The SIMAGRI can be used for different purposes (e.g., initial assessment or operational use for generating crop yield outlook, etc.). It can enhance better communications with stakeholders, and for identifying their needs.