University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Professor Roger Stone was recently elected President of World Meteorological Organisations’ Commission for Agricultural Meteorology (CAgM) under the United Nations. CAgM is an organisation which provides guidance in the field of agricultural meteorology by studying and reviewing the available science and technology. Professor Stone is the first Australian to be selected for this important role, and he will lead the Commission to provide strategic direction and guidance in agricultural meteorology for farmers and agribusiness around the world in the following four years.
Professor Stone said that they will prioritise the need for better services for farmers and agribusiness by ranging from localised weather forecasts to seasonal climate outlooks, as well as better weather and climate risk management. “There is a greater need than ever for the knowledge and expertise of agrometeorologists to assist farmers and the wider agricultural community and for more research and technology development in agrometeorology,” said Professor Stone. “Now more than ever, we need to better prepare farmers for extremes of climate but also enable them to become more resilient.”
The Commission’s key areas of focus for 2018 to 2022 will include drought research and management, issues related to global food security, weather and climate services for agriculture and risk management associated with extreme weather and climate patterns.
Professor Stone currently leads USQ’s Fundamental Climate Science Research program and is Director of the University’s Centre for Applied Climate Sciences. He is recognised as a global leader in climate science research and is also an expert team leader within the UN Commission for Climatology.
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