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The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) has been a key provider of essential agricultural weather data and support to the farming sector in South Africa for many years.
One of its significant contributions is through the network of weather stations, managed by the ARC Natural Resources and Engineering Institute for Soil, Climate and Water (ARC-ISCW) campus.
In 2022, the ARC managed over 600 automatic weather stations, distributed across the country to cover a wide range of agro-climatic zones. Today, the ARC-ISCW’s Agrometeorology division oversees approximately 650 stations across the country, collecting data on an hourly basis.
At each weather station, air temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, solar irradiance, wind speed, and direction are monitored and archived on a data logger for update to the central databank on an hourly basis.
The main objective of these weather stations is to store climate information for South Africa as well as to supply the agricultural community with weather data to support decision-making, making the ARC’s network of weather stations an important national public good asset.
The asset was established with the first station at Bien Donne in 1902. In the 1970s and 1980s, it had grown into an extensive network of manual stations. Automated stations were introduced since 1990 onwards.
Functions of the weather stations
The weather stations serve several essential functions, which include providing data for both short- and long-term weather forecasts, vital for planning agricultural activities such as planting, harvesting, and managing pests. The data also contributes to climate models that predict and reduce the effects of climate change on farming. These stations keep historical weather records, which are used in research to track trends in droughts, rainfall, and heatwaves that impact crops and livestock.
Another key role of weather stations is supporting early warning systems for extreme weather events such as floods, storms, and droughts. This gives producers, especially smallholders, time to prepare and protect their crops and livestock.
Users of ARC weather stations
The users of ARC weather stations include a wide range of groups, such as individual producers, government departments, agribusinesses, and research institutions. Large-scale producers use the data for precision farming, adjusting resources such as water and pesticides based on current weather conditions. Researchers depend on both past and current data to study issues such as climate change, pest outbreaks, and soil health.
Government agencies, including the National Department of Agriculture (NDA), utilise this data for policy development, food security initiatives, and disaster relief efforts in response to extreme weather events that threaten agriculture. Other key stakeholders, such as the South African Weather Service (SAWS), Water Research Commission, and the Department of Water and Sanitation, collaborate with the ARC in this important work. Although smallholder producers may not have direct access to weather data tools, the information contributes to climate-smart agriculture programmes that help them adapt to changing climate conditions.
The challenges faced
One of the biggest problems weather stations face is the high cost of keeping them running. Operating a network of weather stations requires a lot of funds and human capacity to make sure they work well. These stations require regular maintenance, such as calibration, repairing, and replacing sensors and other equipment. However, limited funds and support make this difficult.
There are currently only 18 staff members, with 11 directly involved in maintenance and calibration of the weather stations. As the stations age or are damaged, it becomes even harder to keep them working properly.
Another issue is vandalism and theft. In places such as the Western Cape, weather stations are often vandalised, while in rural areas such as in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo, valuable parts such as solar panels and batteries are stolen. On average, between five and ten stations are lost every year, which not only prevents the collection of important data, but also means expensive repairs to get them back online.
In some regions there is limited coverage of weather stations due to lack of funding. This results in incomplete coverage of South Africa, affecting localised weather forecasts, climate modelling, and early warning systems. However, the NDA has acknowledged the challenge and has awarded funding to add ten stations per year for the next few years.
Data distribution technology and knowledge of interpretation of the data make it harder for smallholder producers to obtain reliable and localised weather information, which can impact their agricultural planning and decision-making.
Maintenance of weather stations
Access to the weather data collected by the ARC weather stations is available through the ARC website, but it comes with a cost for entities outside of academia and research.
This is because academia and research institutions often use the data to support scientific and agricultural research, which contributes to the broader public good. For non-academic users, such as private companies, agribusinesses, and individuals, the data is typically sold as part of a subscription or service package. The pricing can vary depending on the type of data required, the frequency of updates, and the level of detail, with options for near-real-time or historical weather data.
Economic and research impact
Weather stations play a key role in managing the risks associated with changing weather patterns by delivering accurate data. One example is the AgriCloud project, a collaboration between the ARC, SAWS, the Dutch meteorological office and other Dutch companies. The project was funded by the Netherlands Space Office. The AgriCloud app was developed as a mobile app that can be accessed on both smartphones and basic phones. The app is designed to be user-friendly and is available in 11 official South African languages, ensuring that producers from diverse linguistic backgrounds can easily utilise it.
This initiative provides real-time, localised and personalised weather forecasts and warnings, helping producers determine the best times for planting, harvesting, irrigating, and managing pests. As a result, crop yields improve, and losses caused by bad weather decrease.
The information from weather stations also benefits many agricultural activities that generate jobs throughout the farming process. Accurate weather forecasts help agribusinesses, cooperatives, and producers plan their work better, leading to more stable jobs in farming, transport, food processing, and sales.
One success story is the collaboration between the ARC and the South African Sugarcane Research Institute (SASRI). The SASRI uses weather station data to develop detailed crop models that help sugarcane producers in KwaZulu-Natal better manage irrigation and anticipate rainfall patterns. This has led to improved water use efficiency and increased yields, ultimately benefiting both large-scale and smallholder sugarcane producers in the region.
In the Western Cape, agribusinesses specialising in fruit production have also benefited from weather station data. Accurate temperature and humidity readings have helped them reduce the risk of frost damage to orchards and manage irrigation schedules during periods of drought.
This not only improves crop yields, but also protects jobs in farming, packing, and processing sectors.
Additionally, weather stations indirectly support sustainable farming practices such as climate-smart agriculture, which can create new job opportunities in agricultural consulting, technology, and extension services.
On the research front, the data collected from weather stations is invaluable for advancing scientific studies related to agriculture, climate change, and natural resource management. Researchers use this data to analyse long-term trends in weather patterns, such as rainfall variability, drought incidence, and temperature fluctuations, which are critical for developing resilient agricultural practices.
This research is particularly important in the context of climate change, where shifting weather patterns demand innovative approaches to maintaining food security. Additionally, weather station data supports the development of precision agriculture techniques, where researchers and producers work together to create farming systems that improve the use of inputs such as water, fertiliser, and pesticides, reducing costs and environmental impacts while improving yields.
The weather stations also provide a foundation for collaborative research between national and international institutions. Such collaboration could also mean funding for these stations, which might solve some of the human capacity and security challenges.
When sharing data across borders, South Africa contributes to global efforts to adapt to climate change and enhance agricultural productivity. This not only elevates the country’s status as a leader in agricultural research, but also opens avenues for investment and funding for local research projects. – Natasia Qwabe, Manana Mamabolo, and Christian Kaempffer, ARC
For more information, send an email to Christian Kaempffer at ChrisK@arc.agric.za.