Agriculture is the mainstay of Malawi's economy and extreme weather conditions can have a devastating impact on crop yields and rural livelihoods. According to research by the National Statistical Office, production of the country's staple food, maize, fell by 13 per cent between the 2003 and 2004 harvests because of inadequate rainfall. Southern Malawi was especially hard hit by rainfall deficits, which resulted in a shorter growing season and crops being harvested before they had time to mature.

To avoid a repeat of such experiences, the DoM aims to deliver timely, high quality forecasts for Malawi's farmers, who make up 90 per cent of the country's population, and live largely in remote areas of the country.

Should drought be forecast, for example, the information will be posted promptly on the DoM website, says Gray Munthali, Malawi's deputy director of meteorological services. The agricultural communication branch, a government department that works with farmers, will then be able access the information and relay it along with mitigation plans to farmers through its existing network of technical officers who work in rural areas.

"In such cases, farmers will be encouraged to plant drought tolerant crops, such as cassava, in anticipation of the adverse weather conditions," Munthali told SciDev.Net.