How weather information can be delivered to farmers – NiMet

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has said weather information can be cascaded to local farmers more effectively when they are delivered in easy to use format devoid of scientific technicalities.

The Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Professor Mansur Bako Matazu, stated this at a one-day workshop on developing a feedback framework for Climate Information Service Delivery in Nigeria.

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Matazu also said the weather information should be delivered in easy and local languages.

He said: “The key challenge in the delivery of agrometeorological information to farmers includes traditional beliefs, highly technical scientific information, poor communications, language barrier, etc.”

He said NiMet seeks partnerships and collaborations such as the NiMet-Human and Environment Development Agenda (HEDA) relationship.

He said the Nigerian Meteorological Agency remains open to more of these partnerships and looks forward to an improved working relationship with HEDA for sustainable food security in Nigeria.

He explained that NiMet understands the need for partnership in the dissemination of climate information to farmers based on the success stories recorded with HEDA.

Other partnerships he said include the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) projects on the application of the Seasonal Climate Prediction for Agricultural production and provision of Crop Weather Calendar and Livestock comfortability Index.

He said the agency maintains a strong and efficient collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR) on Climate Smart Villages, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) on Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices, Centre for Dry-Land Agriculture (CDA), USAID MARKET, State governments, and other key MDAs in providing agrometeorological information to farming communities across the country.