Paper short abstract:

This paper focuses on the dynamics of co-production of knowledge towards the provision of climate services for the agriculture sector in Argentina. We analyze user interface experiences as key processes to improving communication among scientists, stakeholders and operational institutions.

Paper long abstract:

The provision of climate services promoted by global institutions such as the WMO underlines what has been called "user interface" thus requiring the building of relationships between stakeholders and information providers. This presentation shares results of an ongoing research on the recently launched Regional Climate Center in Southeastern South America (RCC-SESA) in which anthropologists have a leading role. It is carried by the Project "Towards usable climate science - Informing sustainable decisions and provision of climate services to the agriculture and water sectors of southeastern South America" funded by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) CRN-3035. Collaborative production of knowledge between scientists (social and natural) and stakeholders (governmental and nongovernmental) around the provision of climate services in SESA is being monitored and analyzed.

In this paper we will focus on collaborative experiences developed towards the provision of climate services for the agriculture sector in Argentina. Interviews and participant observation in dialog tables, consensual meetings and joint endeavors allow us to claim that the creation and maintenance of interaction spaces sustained over the time is identified by agents as a crucial aspect for success in the provision of climate services. We analyze the dynamics of co-production of knowledge not only at a local user interface level, but as a sample of a deep reflexive process on the changing identities, activities and representations of their role in society being experienced by scientists, stakeholders and institutions such as the National Weather and Hydrological services´ (NWHS).