| Summary: | Climate extremes rather than changes in average climate conditions are increasingly recognized as the dominant
drivers of agricultural risk, crop failure, and livelihood disruption across many farming systems. Short duration
extreme rainfall events can cause flooding, erosion, and nutrient loss, while prolonged dry spells and heat
extremes reduce crop productivity, stress livestock, and undermine food security. These risks are amplified in
smallholder dominated agricultural landscapes where adaptive capacity and access to timely climate information
remain limited.
The Climate Extremes Analytics Toolkit and Data Services has been developed to address this gap by providing a
systematic, reproducible, and scientifically robust framework for translating raw climate data into decision
relevant indicators of climate extremes. The toolkit implements internationally standardized ETCCDI climate
extreme indices, enabling consistent assessment of precipitation and temperature extremes across space and
time. By focusing on extremes rather than means, the system captures the climate signals most directly linked to
agricultural impacts.
Within the context of the CGIAR Sustainable Farming Program (SFP), the toolkit serves as a foundational analytical
layer that supports climate risk diagnostics, resilience planning, and climate smart agriculture interventions. It
enables researchers, program teams, and partners to identify hotspots of climate risk, monitor trends in extreme
events, and generate evidence that informs sustainable farming strategies, policy dialogue, and investment
decisions.
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