Beyond “Expert Knowledge”: Locals and Experts in a Joint Production of Weather App and Weather Information for Farming in the Volta Delta, Ghana

Local knowledge about weather conditions is often crucial to farming practices in developing countries. It is potentially valuable when combined with scientific knowledge. Citizen science approaches rely on participatory environmental monitoring to source knowledge and information from citizens. The study examined the opportunities and challenges for tapping into local knowledge by using smartphone applications – this topic is often discussed but less studied empirically. Based on an in-depth qualitative case study approach, involving interviews and workshops, a citizen science experiment involving 22 farmers in Ada East District, Ghana was analyzed. Farmers were handed smartphones to digitally enter their weather forecasts, their local indicators, and actual rainfall. The study found that the daily display of the forecast on WhatsApp generated interaction and feedbacks among farmers and experts. The usability of the smartphones and digital applications for recording local information depends on an appropriate user interface, language, cultural context, the Internet, and electricity coverage. The study also presents lessons on motivation of farmers and the challenges of linking different knowledge systems. Critical areas identified for future consideration include data ownership and the expansion of the project to reach numerous farmers.