By Nneka Nwogwugwu
The Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET), Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), OXFAM and other has urged farmers to gather information on climate change to increase production.
The workshop with theme: “Improving Provision of Climate Information Services to Farmers” according to the Executive Secetrary, HEDA Resource Center, Sulaimon Arigbabu was to sensitise farmers on food security and how climate change affect food production.
Speaking during the one day agricultural stakeholders workshop, Arigbabu lamented that food production is one of the major problems facing the nation because of increase in prices, adding that farmers need a lot of information about climate for them to be more productive.
“Farmers need to know the importance of climate change on food production particularly as it affect the small farmers because they are critical to food security, they require timely and regular information about climate change,’’ he said as quoted by The Tribune.
He however, said that Nigerian food production would have been far better in the food security index if there is adequate information on how to improve provision of climate information services to farmers.
Assistant General Manager, Climate Services Unit, Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET),Oyegade Adeleke, urged farmers to always follow NIMET forecast which he said would assist them not only in planting but in harvest.
He however said that though extension workers are few, government will improve on numbers of extension workers so that farm products will not continue to waste.
One of the participants, Olushola Adeleke, said that there should be a synegy between farmers and government to mitigate climate change in Nigeria and to have effective information on food production.