Farmers can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing that an innovation for monitoring weather and disaster has been identified.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) believes this technology will impact farmers, giving them the knowledge of weather patterns and seasonal forecasting.
According to the agency, this will boost food security and ensure adequate protection from climate disasters.
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The Director-General of NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike, said the agency had identified an effective early warning system for farmers against climate disasters.
He made this known while participating as a panelist during the USAID Global Food Security Strategy Country Plan launch in Abuja.
Anosike is Nigeria’s Permanent Representative with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The panel discussed the role of development partners and Nigerian MDAs in ensuring food security.
According to the NiMET boss, Nigeria’s current food challenges, require a new way of thinking.
We need to consider weather and climate-related factors in the entire agricultural value chain.
Anosike said NiMet intended to “mainstream weather and climate information in the agricultural value chain”. It will be the agency’s contribution to stabilising food security in the country.
He added: “We are using a co-production mechanism to facilitate our seasonal climate prediction.
“NiMet ensures appropriate understanding and use of weather information by stakeholders to improve planning and strategic decision making”.
Advantages Of Seasonal Climate Prediction To Farmers
He cited NiMET’s annual Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP), as a climate action-early warning tool.
According to him, this “gives an outlook of weather and climate variability in upcoming months within the year.
“It highlights rainfall patterns and temperature variability”.
Furthermore, Anosike said that the “unpredictable rainfall patterns and extreme events can trigger competition for food and water.
“Declining agricultural outputs can lead to loss of income and exacerbate food insecurity.
“Temperature changes affect crop growth and yield and can also destroy crops during post-processing and transportation.
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“We need to intensify our collaborative efforts with an intentional strategy to promote climate–smart agriculture and invest in preparedness to improve the response-ability of our smallholder farmers.
“Climate change may not be the only source of our problems; however, climate change is the ‘threat multiplier’ as it intensifies resource scarcity and deepens food insecurity”.
