The Nigerian Meteorological Agency is set to partner with the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes Project to develop a tailored Digital Precision Agricultural Extension platform aimed at supporting smallholder farmers in northern Nigeria.
According to ACReSAL National Project Coordinator, Mukhtar Tanko, at a meeting held at NiMet’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, he said the project recognises NiMet as a key stakeholder in the development, deployment, and sustainability of the DPAE platform.
He explained that Sub-Component B2 of the project aims to support farmers at the household level in adopting climate-smart rainfed agriculture practices. He said that to achieve this, leveraging weather data is essential for optimising farm management and improving productivity.
Tanko added that the Federal Government, through ACReSAL, plans to develop a customised DPAE platform targeted at smallholder farmers in northern Nigeria.
He said the digital extension service will enable farmers to access real-time and predictive information, including agricultural advice, input recommendations, market data, and weather updates, tailored to their specific needs.
The Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, Charles Anosike, welcomed the proposal to deepen collaboration between NiMet and ACReSAL.
“You can’t practise precision-smart agriculture without weather and climate information,” he said.
