WMO supports a number of regional centres that were initiated by Member countries. With one person in five throughout the world living in extreme poverty, and world population growing by more than ninety million a year, it is vital to increase food production. Here, too, NMHSs are playing a crucial role. In Mongolia, spring blizzards and sandstorms are responsible for the loss of more than 200,000 head of livestock annually. The Government estimates that an improvement in the accuracy of forecasting of just one per cent would halve these losses.
Simple actions are often the best.
Parts of India are deriving enormous economic benefit from accurate predictions made by the India Meteorological Department of monsoon spells that allow farmers to conserve the last few litres of monsoon water. In Ethiopia, the National Meteorological Services Agency helps food production by assisting farmers decide on the right amount of fertilizer to use and the best time to apply it. It also advises farmers on pasture management, and on the appropriate time to sell animals when drought threatens.