To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Northover on 24 March (WA 85), what subjects were discussed at, and what were the conclusions of, the workshops held between scientists and members of local communities; and what assessment the Department for International Development has made of the value for money of those workshops.

Before 2010 the UK funded a project to help Kenyan farmers access modern scientific weather forecasts. As part of this project workshops were held between scientists and members of local communities.

The workshops explored how poorer Kenyan farmers could better understand and make use of the best modern, scientifically based seasonal weather forecasts, using all effective channels of communication, so that the scientific forecasts could become more widely accessible and trusted by farmers and poorer communities.

These meetings helped deliver improved forecasts for seasonal rains, based on the best science and accessible by poor farmers in Kenya, whose livelihoods depend on these rains. This enabled these farmers to adapt their planting accordingly to maximise their productivity.