Summary

This case study is a part of a bigger study looking at the farming practices in southern Zambia and the impact of the climate change, if any, on the farming practices. The objective of the full study is to support farmers in making informed decisions regarding their farming strategies.

In this case study we use Instat to focus on the exploratory and descriptive analysis of daily rainfall data for evidence of climate change in southern Zambia, where agriculture productivity has been decreasing over recent years. We look at some of the problems that occur in managing and editing climatic data and the types of analysis that are appropriate.

The case study also briefly demonstrates the interactions that are needed between biometrician and his/her client in helping to define the questions that need to be posed to meet study objectives.

Finally the case study illustrates how the results can be reported and disseminated to the different categories of end users, in this case in the form of radio broadcasts to farmers.