By Faridat Salifu
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) is set to expand delivery of location-specific weather and climate advisories to farmers to curb weather-related losses and boost food production.
Director-General of NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at a National Strategic Dialogue on the AGROW Component 2.2 National Implementation Strategy and Digital Agriculture Architecture.
The dialogue was organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security under the World Bank-supported Nigeria Sustainable Agricultural Value Chain (AGROW) Project.
Anosike said rising unpredictability of rainfall, climate variability and extreme weather events have made timely climate information critical to agricultural planning and decision-making.
According to him, access to accurate forecasts enables farmers to make informed decisions on planting dates, water management and input application, thereby reducing avoidable losses.
“Climate variability, changing rainfall patterns and extreme weather events are increasingly affecting agriculture, making timely and reliable climate information critical to agricultural planning and decision-making,” he said.
He said NiMet currently provides Seasonal Climate Predictions, routine weather updates, agrometeorological services and impact-based advisories to farmers and other user sectors.
The agency, he added, is strengthening delivery through digital platforms that translate climate data into practical, farm-level guidance.
Anosike cited NiMet’s partnership with http://Tomorrow.io and MTN on the Digital Climate Advisory Services (DCAS) System, designed to deliver location-specific advisories to farmers via mobile SMS.
He also disclosed ongoing collaboration with the Agricultural Innovation Mechanism for Scale (AIM for Scale) to deploy artificial intelligence-based forecasting in digital agricultural advisory systems.
He noted that digital tools could make climate information more accessible and actionable, especially amid increasingly unpredictable weather conditions.
However, Anosike cautioned that technology alone would not guarantee access, stressing the need for digital agricultural services to address barriers of literacy, language, connectivity, affordability and access to technology.
He called for stronger collaboration among NiMet, agricultural extension services, technology providers, telecom operators, community radio stations and farmer organisations to ensure climate information reaches rural communities.
He also advocated direct involvement of farmers in designing climate services to ensure digital solutions reflect local farming realities.
Anosike commended the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, for advancing climate-smart agriculture, and urged participants to develop a practical and measurable roadmap for integrating weather and climate services into Nigeria’s digital agriculture ecosystem.
The dialogue was themed: “Building a Unified, Inclusive and Future-Ready Digital Agriculture Ecosystem for a More Productive, Resilient and Food-Secure Nigeria.”
