By Gabriel Ameh
NiMet Backs Digital Agriculture Strategy to Help Farmers Tackle Climate Risks, Boost Food Security
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has reaffirmed its commitment to providing farmers with timely weather and climate information as Nigeria works to strengthen food production and build a more resilient agricultural sector.
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike, stated this in his goodwill message at a national strategic dialogue on Nigeria’s digital agriculture strategy.
The dialogue focused on the preparation of the AGROW Component 2.2 National Implementation Strategy and Digital Agriculture Architecture and was organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security under the World Bank-supported Nigeria Sustainable Agricultural Value Chain (AGROW) Project.
Held under the theme, “Building a Unified, Inclusive and Future-Ready Digital Agriculture Ecosystem for a More Productive, Resilient and Food-Secure Nigeria,” the meeting brought together stakeholders to discuss ways of improving Nigeria’s digital agriculture ecosystem.
Anosike said the discussion was particularly important to NiMet because of the agency’s mandate to provide weather and climate information that supports livelihoods, protects lives and helps climate-sensitive sectors make informed decisions.
He noted that changing rainfall patterns, climate variability and extreme weather events are increasingly affecting agricultural activities, making reliable weather and climate information important for farmers and other players across the agricultural value chain.
According to him, NiMet provides Seasonal Climate Predictions, regular weather updates, agrometeorological services and impact-based advisories designed to help farmers make better decisions on planting, water management and the use of agricultural inputs.
The NiMet boss also highlighted the role of digital technology in taking climate information from national weather systems directly to farmers at the farm level.
He pointed to NiMet’s partnership with Tomorrow.io and MTN on the Digital Climate Advisory Services (DCAS) System, which is designed to provide location-specific weather advisories to farmers through mobile SMS.
He also cited NiMet’s partnership with the Agricultural Innovation Mechanism for Scale (AIM for Scale), aimed at strengthening the integration of artificial intelligence-based weather forecasting with digital advisory services.
Anosike stressed that for digital agriculture to make a meaningful difference, farmers must be able to access the information through channels they understand and trust.
He identified extension services, technology companies, telecommunications providers, community radio and farmer organisations as important partners in ensuring that digital agricultural information reaches farmers, particularly those in underserved communities.
The NiMet DG also called for greater attention to the realities faced by farmers, including language, literacy, internet and mobile connectivity, affordability and gender inclusion.
He said farmers should also be involved in the development of climate services to ensure that the information provided responds to their actual needs.
Anosike commended the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, CON, for efforts to promote climate-smart agriculture.
He urged stakeholders at the dialogue to develop a practical, inclusive and measurable roadmap for integrating weather and climate information into decision-making across Nigeria’s agricultural value chain.
He expressed optimism that the dialogue would contribute to a more climate-smart, digitally enabled and farmer-centred agricultural system.
NiMet, he added, remains ready to provide the technical support required to strengthen climate services, improve agricultural resilience and contribute to Nigeria’s food security.
Credit: Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet)
