NiMet, Federal Ministry of Agriculture form alliance to enhance agricultural productivity

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security have embarked on a collaborative journey to fortify their existing partnership to boost agricultural productivity across the country.

The genesis of this strengthened alliance dates back to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on March 3, 2022. 

This landmark agreement encompasses a multifaceted approach, including the development of a dashboard for early warning systems, capacity building initiatives aimed at enlightening Ministry staff and stakeholders on meteorological parameter changes, and the dissemination of agro-meteorological advisory services tailored to farmers’ needs for specific agricultural commodities.

A pivotal moment in this ongoing collaboration was witnessed during a joint press briefing held at the Ministry’s conference room in Abuja on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. 

During the briefing, Senator Abubakar Kyari, the Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, extended a warm welcome to the NiMet delegation led by Professor Charles Anosike, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, and Nigeria’s permanent representative with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

Addressing the significance of NiMet’s Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP), Senator Kyari emphasised its indispensable role in various sectors of the economy, including aviation, maritime, and most notably, agriculture. 

He underscored the reliability of NiMet’s forecasts and their pivotal role in guiding agricultural practices nationwide.

Highlighting the transformative potential of NiMet’s Seasonal Climate Prediction, Senator Kyari stressed its capacity to provide crucial insights into rainfall patterns, optimal planting times, duration of growing seasons, and potential dry spells that could jeopardise agricultural investments if not mitigated. 

He lamented instances where farmers overlooked NiMet’s advice, only to suffer losses due to misreading rainfall patterns.

“Over the years, critical sectors of the economy, such as aviation, maritime, and agriculture, have come to rely on the Seasonal Climate Prediction published by NiMeT usually in the first quarter of the year. The reliability of the Seasonal Climate Prediction is indicated by increased recourse to the weather advisories contained therein,” said Kyari.

Expressing gratitude for the Ministry’s proactive stance, Professor Anosike commended Senator Kyari’s leadership and reiterated NiMet’s commitment to leveraging the Ministry’s farmer database for enhanced outreach. 

He outlined NiMet’s dissemination strategy, which encompasses formal engagements with farmers, media collaborations with outlets like the BBC, Radio Nigeria, and national television stations, as well as social media platforms.

However, Professor Anosike acknowledged existing gaps in dissemination efforts and stressed the need for wider outreach to reach Nigeria’s vast agricultural community. 

He emphasised the imperative of equipping farmers with timely, accurate, and actionable weather and climate information to foster climate-resilient decision-making and ultimately bolster food security nationwide.

“NiMet wishes to build on the database of farmers that the ministry has. Already NiMet disseminates information about seasonal climate prediction through formal engagements with farmers , and through the media such as the BBC, social media, Radio Nigeria and through national television stations. 

“However, a lot of gaps still exist within the dissemination space. Our goal is to reach as many Nigerians as possible with timely, accurate and actionable weather and climate information as part of NiMet Early Warning Drive.”

“Food security requires consistent collaboration with all stakeholders. The SCP as predicted are being manifested but the challenge remains disseminating the content to over 70 million farmers in Nigeria. 

“Farmers need to be equipped with information and other resources to make climate resilient decisions,” Anosike remarked.