Hanoi (VNA) – The 9th ASEANRegional Climate Outlook Forum (ASEANCOF-9) convened in Hanoi on November 15.
Themed “Using seasonal climate predictiontools in agricultural management”, the forum gathered nearly 60 participantsfrom ASEAN member states, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), andother international partners of ASEAN.
Speaking at the function, Tran Hong Thai, DeputyGeneral Director of the Vietnam National Hydro-meteorological Service (NHS), saidclimate change has significant impacts on agriculture, particularly in ElNino-affected countries in ASEAN like Vietnam.
A challenge to seasonal climate predictionin farming is how to access and make use of underlying benefits of the climateto improve food security, protect resources and boost economic growth, he said.
WMO representative Jochen Luther presenteda study on building weather adaptation capacity via the installation of earlydetection systems for small islands and the Southeast Asian region.
The forum is set to discuss weather riskmanagement, sustainable development support, and advanced technologies inseasonal climate forecast. It also looked into coordinating mechanism between hydro-meteorologicalservice centres and agricultural bodies to put forth suitable managementpolicies for the sector.
The event lasts until November 17.-VNA