On 14 October 2024, the ALBATROSS partner Eva Merloni, from ITMET, participated in an international meeting titled “International Cooperation in Applied Meteorology for Reducing Hydroclimatic Risks”, in Florence. The event brought together representatives of meteorological services, researchers, international organisations, and cooperation agencies from Italy, Niger, and Burkina Faso to share experiences, consolidate partnerships, and discuss future directions for operational forecasting in the Sahel region.

During the event, the long-standing cooperation between Italy and Africa was highlighted, as organisations like CNR have been working in joint scientific action, capacity building, and knowledge exchange for more than forty years in meteorology, climatology, and agrometeorology.

In her intervention, Eva discussed the international cooperation ItaliaMeteo is experiencing within the framework of ALBATROSS, particularly in the development of community-driven impact-based forecasts covering seasonal-to-interannual predictions for agriculture.