By Stanley Onyekwere
The Agricultural and Rural Development Secretariat (ARDS) of the FCT Administration has downscaled 2023 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) to farmers and other stakeholders in Abuja, the nation’s capital city, so as to ensure a disaster free farming season.
The ARDS in partnership with the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) had organised the sensitization/downscaling programme on the annual weather report for hundreds of representatives of farmers and other stakeholders drawn from the six FCT Area Councils.
According to the Secretariat, the measures that the FCT Administration has taken through the Secretariat in downscaling the annual weather report is yielding the desired results as finding shows increased in agricultural production and adaptability of farmers to the changes.
It added that all FCTA relevant agencies particularly the FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) are carried along in the sensitisation campaigns.
“Through our Zonal Agric officers, Area Council Authorities and our Extension Agents the Secretariat have stepped down the information to our farmers to guide them on when to start and stop planting, expected amount of rainfall as well as the duration of the rains.
“All of these are vital information that will help to increase the adaptive capacity of farmers to weather changes, thereby enabling them to avert harsh conditions that may have adverse effect on crop and animal production”, ARDS stated
Reiterating its determination to ensure the success of the exercise, the Secretariat disclosed steps taken to ensure that the information is simplified and translated in the major local languages such that they are clearly understood by the farmers.
According to the ARDS’s director, Agric Services, Mrs. Fransisca Ihekandu, noted that the programme will help farmers to have disaster-free farming activities throughout the year.
Ihekandu said in ensuring that the downscaling is stepped down to all the 6 Area Councils of the FCT, the Secretariat has already trained and mobilized all the Extension Agents deployed for the exercise.
On his part, Acting General Manager with NiMet, Mr. Oyegade Adeleke, noted that the climate information, which is available for every part of the country will ensure that people don’t make mistakes in farming activity.
He adds: “Climate will always change, but people must always build resilience, by accessing appropriate information on climate related issues”.
The downscaling which kicked off in Kuje had attracted a large turnout, which signalled that the information will reach the targeted farmers as expected.
