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James Hansen

Research Scientist

CCAFS Theme Leader

123 Monell

61 Route 9W

Palisades, NY 10964

Phone: 845 680 4410

Fax: 845 690 4864

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Curriculum Vitae
IRI Publications
Profile

Background

Dr. Hansen is a Research Scientist working in the area of Agricultural Systems. Since 1996, his career has focused on the management of climate risk and use of climate information for agriculture. Prior to joining the IRI in 1999, he worked at the University of Florida, where he contributed to the development of a state-wide climate applications program in Florida, and formation of the Southeast Climate Consortium. Past research contributions have included applications of agricultural systems methods to use of climate information, farm economic risk and sustainability analysis, and land use under conflicting goals; communication of probabilistic climate information; spatial scaling in agroecosystem modeling; stochastic weather modeling; climate-based crop forecasting; and tropical soil fertility and intercrop ecology. He holds a I hold a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from the University of Florida, and M.S. in Agronomy and Soil Science from the University of Hawaii.

Research Interests

Dr. Hansen's research includes:

  • The economic implications of risk and advance information for agricultural and food security management;
  • The design and effective communication of climate information for smallholder farmers;
  • Integrating climate and other information to forecast agricultural production; and
  • The role of managing current climate risk in reducing vulnerability to progressive climate change.

Role at IRI

Dr. Hansen is part of the Program Management Committee of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), where he leads the Research Theme on Adaptation through Managing Climate Risk. The Theme research agenda focuses on:

  • Enabling rural communities to manage climate-related risk and build resilient livelihoods;
  • Improving management of climate risk through the food system (delivery, trade and crisis response); and
  • Enhancing climate information and services for agriculture and food security
Within this role, Dr. Hansen contributed to the establishment of CCAFS, designed the Theme research agenda, and oversees a portfolio of research on management of climate-related risk for climate adaptation. CCAFS is the mechanism for funding and coordinating climate change adaptation and mitigation research-for-development across the CGIAR. Its initial focus regions are East and West Africa, and the Indo-Gangetic Plains of South Asia.

Refereed Papers (since 2005, 48 total)

Jarvis, A., Lau, C., Cook, S., Wollenberg, E., Hansen, J., Bonilla, O., Challinor, A., 2011. An integrated adaptation and mitigation framework for developing agricultural research: synergies and trade-offs. Experimental Agriculture 47:185-203.

Hansen, J.W., Mason, S., Sun, L., Tall, A., 2011. Review of seasonal climate forecasting for agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. Experimental Agriculture 47:205-240.

Ericksen, P., Stewart, B., Eriksen, S., Tschakert, P., Sabates-Wheeler, R., Hansen, J., Thornton, P., 2010. Adapting Food Systems. Pp. 115-143 in: Ingram, J.S.I., P.J. Ericksen and D.M. Liverman (Eds.), Global Environmental Change and Food Security. Earthscan, London. (Refereed book chapter)

Ines, A.V.M., Hansen, J.W., Robertson, A.W., 2010. Enhancing the utility of daily GCM rainfall for crop yield prediction. International Journal of Climatology. DOI: 10.1002/joc.2223

Hansen, J.W., Zebiak, S., Baethgen, W., Ines, A.V.M., Osgood, D., In press. Climate Risk, Information and Market Participation for African Farmers. Proceedings of the Conference, Towards Priority Actions for Market Development for African Farmers, Nairobi, Kenya, 13 May 2009. (Refereed proceeding)

Hansen, J.W., Mishra, A., Rao, K.P.C., Indeje, M., Ngugi, R.K., 2009. Potential value of GCM-based seasonal rainfall forecasts for maize management in semi-arid Kenya. Agricultural Systems 101:80-90.

Mishra, A., Hansen, J.W., Dingkuhn, M., Baron, C., Traore, S.B., Ndiaye, O., Ward, M.N., 2008. Sorghum yield prediction from seasonal rainfall forecasts in Burkina Faso. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 148:1798-1814.

Meza, F.J., Hansen, J.W., Osgood, D., 2008. Economic value of seasonal climate forecasts for agriculture: review of ex ante assessments and recommendations for future research. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology 47:1269-1286.

Baigorria, G.A., Hansen, J.W., Ward, M.N., Jones, J.W., O'Brien, J.J., 2008. Regional atmospheric circulation and surface temperatures predicting cotton yields in the southeastern USA. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology 47:76-91.

Peiris, T.S.G., Hansen, J.W., Zubair, L., 2008. Use of seasonal rainfall in forecasting annual national coconut production in Sri Lanka: an integrated approach. International Journal of Climatology 28:103-110.

Hansen, J.W., Baethgen, W., Osgood, D., Ceccato, P., Ngugi, R.K., 2007. Innovations in climate risk management: protecting and building rural livelihoods in a variable and changing climate. Journal of Semi-Arid Tropical Agricultural Research 4(1). (published online at http://www.icrisat.org/Journal/specialproject.htm).

Robertson, A.W., Ines, A.V.M., Hansen, J.W., 2007. Downscaling of seasonal precipitation for crop simulation. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology 46:677-693.

Ines, A.V.M, Hansen, J.W., 2006. Bias correction of daily GCM rainfall for crop simulation studies. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 138:44-53.

Hansen, J.W., Challinor, A., Ines, A.V.M, Wheeler, T., Moron, V., 2006. Translating climate forecasts into agricultural terms: advances and challenges. Climate Research 33:27-41.

Hansen, J.W., 2005. Integrating seasonal climate prediction and agricultural models for insights into agricultural practice. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 360:2037-2047.

Hansen, J.W., Ines, A.V.M., 2005. Stochastic disaggregation of monthly rainfall data for crop simulation studies. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 131:233-246.

Submitted

Osgood, D.E., Suarez, P., Hansen, J.W., Carriquiry, M., Mishra, A., Integrating seasonal forecasts and insurance for adaptation among smallholder farmers: the case of Malawi. American Journal of Agricultural Economics.

Books, Chapters, Reports, Edited Volumes (since 2005)

Zubair, L., Hansen, J.W., Yahiya, Z., Siriwardhana, M., Chandimala, J., Razick, S., and Tennakoon, U., 2010. Adaptation and Impact Assessment to Climate Change of Plantations in Sri Lanka. IRI Tech. Rep. No. 10-06, International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Palisades, NY, USA. 40 pp. (Available online at http://iri.columbia.edu/publications/id=996)

Vermeulen, S.J., Aggarwal, P.K., Ainslie, A., Angelone, C., Campbell, B.M., Challinor, A.J., Hansen, J.W., Ingram, J.S.I., Jarvis, A., Kristjanson, P., Lau, C., Thornton, P.K, and Wollenberg, E. 2010. Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change: Outlook for Knowledge, Tools and Action. CCAFS Report 3. CGIAR-ESSP Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security. Copenhagen, Denmark. 16 pp. (Background paper prepared for The Hague Conference on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change on behalf of the CGIAR. Available online at: http://www.ccafs.cgiar.org/sites/default/files/pdf/ccafs_report_3-low-res_final.pdf)

Dinku, T., Giannini, A., Hansen, J.W., Holthaus, E., Ines, A., Kaheil, Y., Karnauskas, K., Lyon, B., Madajewicz, M., McLaurin, M., Mullally, C., Norton, M., Osgood, D., Peterson, N., Robertson, A., Shirley, K., Small, C., Vicarelli, M. (alphabetical order), 2009. Designing Index-Based Weather Insurance for Farmers in Adi Ha, Ethiopia. Report to OXFAM America. IRI Tech. Rep. No. 09-04. International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Palisades, New York, USA. 81 pp. (Available online at http://iri.columbia.edu/publications/id=908)

CCAFS. 2009. Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security. CCAFS Report No. 1. A CGIAR Challenge Program. The Alliance of the CGIAR Centres and ESSP, Rome and Paris. 51 pp. (authors in alphabetical order: Hansen, J.W., Ingram, J., Jarvis, A. O�Brien, K., Rosegrant, M., Thornton, P.K., Vorosmarty, C., Washington, R., Wassmann, R.)

Giannini, A., Hansen, J.W., Holthus, E., Ines, A., Kaheil, Y., Karnauskas, K., McLaurin, M., Osgood, D., Robertson, D., Shirley, K., Vicarelli, M., 2009. Designing Index-Based Weather Insurance for Farmers in Central America. IRI Tech. Rep. No. 09-01. International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Palisades, New York, USA. 19 pp. (Project report to the World Bank Commodity Risk Management Group. Authors in alphabetical order.)

Brown, C., Hansen, J.W., 2008. Agricultural Water Management and Climate Risk. IRI Tech. Rep. No. 08-01. International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Palisades, New York, USA. 19pp. (Commissioned report for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)

Barrett, C.B., Barnett, B.J. Carter, M.R., Chantarat, S., Hansen, J.W., Mude, A.G., Osgood, D.E., Skees, J.R., Turvey, C.G., Ward, M.N., 2007. Poverty Traps and Climate Risk: Limitations and Opportunities of Index-Based Risk Financing. IRI Tech. Rep. No. 07-03. International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Palisades, New York, USA. (Commissioned background paper for the IRI Policy Roundtable on Climate Risk, Poverty Traps and Index-Based Financing)

Osgood, D.E, McLaurin, M. Carriquiry, M., Mishra, A., Fiondella, F., Hansen, J.W., Peterson, N., Ward, N., 2007. Designing Weather Insurance Contracts for Farmers in Malawi, Tanzania, and Kenya, Final Report to the Commodity Risk Management Group, ARD, World Bank. IRI Tech. Rep. No. 07 02. International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Palisades, New York, USA.

Sivakumar, M.V.K., Hansen, J.W. (Eds.), 2007. Climate Prediction and Agriculture: Advances and Challenges. Springer, New York.

Sivakumar, M.V.K., Hansen, J.W., 2007. Climate Prediction and Agriculture: Summary and the Way Forward. Pp. 1-13 in: Sivakumar, M.V.K., Hansen, J.W. (Ed.), Climate Prediction and Agriculture: Advances and Challenges. Springer, Berlin.

Lansigan, F.P., de los Santos, W.L., Hansen, J.W., 2007. Delivering climate forecast products to farmers: Ex-post assessment of impacts of climate information on corn production systems in Isabela, Philippines. Pp. 41-48 in: Sivakumar, M.V.K., Hansen, J.W. (Ed.), Climate Prediction and Agriculture: Advances and Challenges. Springer, Berlin.

Singh, K.K., Reddy, D.R., Kaushik, S., Rathore, L.S., Hansen, J.W., Sreenivas, G., 2007. Application of seasonal climate forecasts for sustainable agricultural production in Telangana subdivision of Andhra Pradesh, India. Pp. 111-127 in: Sivakumar, M.V.K., Hansen, J.W. (Ed.), Climate Prediction and Agriculture: Advances and Challenges. Springer, Berlin.

Selvaraju, R., Meinke, H., Hansen, J.W., 2007. Climate Forecast Applications for Better Water Management in Agriculture: A Case Study for Southern Peninsular India. Pp. 143-155 in: Sivakumar, M.V.K., Hansen, J.W. (Ed.), Climate Prediction and Agriculture: Advances and Challenges. Springer, Berlin.

de los Santos, W.L., Lansigan, F.P., Hansen, J.W., 2007. Linking corn production, climate information and farm-level decision-making: a case study in Isabela, Philippines. Pp. 157-164 in: Sivakumar, M.V.K., Hansen, J.W. (Ed.), Climate Prediction and Agriculture: Advances and Challenges. Springer, Berlin.

Rao, V.N., Singh, P., Hansen, J.W., Krishna, T.G., Murthy, S.K.K., 2007. Use of ENSO-based seasonal rainfall forecasting for informed cropping decisions by farmers in the SAT India. Pp. 165-180 in: Sivakumar, M.V.K., Hansen, J.W. (Ed.), Climate Prediction and Agriculture: Advances and Challenges. Springer, Berlin.

Sivakumar, M.V.K., Hansen, J.W., 2007. Conclusions and recommendations. Pp. 281-288 in: Sivakumar, M.V.K., Hansen, J.W. (Ed.), Climate Prediction and Agriculture: Advances and Challenges. Springer, Berlin.

Hansen, J.W., Sivakumar, M.V.K. (Guest Eds.), 2006. Advances in Applying Climate Prediction in Agriculture. Special issue of Climate Research 33(1).

Hansen, J.W., Hellmuth, M., Thomson, M., Williams, J. (Editors), 2006. A Gap Analysis for the Implementation of the Global Climate Observing System Programme in Africa. IRI Technical Report No. 06 01. International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Palisades, New York. 49 pp.