A climate services roadmap for smallholder farming communities: a case study of Urok islands in Guinea-Bissau

Small island developing states are increasingly recognizing the importance of climate and weather services for informing adaptation to the impacts of climate change. To effectively address the unique challenges faced by these vulnerable regions, climate services need to be co-produced, communicated, and implemented in a manner that aligns with the realities of local communities. This study presents the implementation of such a process to develop a roadmap for climate services tailored to the agricultural sector in Guinea-Bissau, with a focus on the Urok Islands in the Bijagos archipelago. The primary objective was to initiate and provide guidance on the establishment of climate services for the country that could empower local smallholder farmers to make informed decisions on a seasonal timescale in a moment in which traditional knowledge and historical weather patterns are becoming less reliable. The results of this research not only show shared climate change impacts in West Africa, but also underscore specific threats to the Urok Islands’ smallholder farming practices. The study emphasises the necessity of partnerships, co-production principles, and dissemination of tailored information to overcome institutional, empirical, and epistemic challenges in delivering effective climate services, advocating for sustainable, trust-based approaches.