Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof. Charles Anosike, has explained that the translation of meteorological data into actionable insights enables farmers to confidently make climate smart decisions.

Speaking at a Chief Executive Officers’ breakfast, themed: ‘Elevating the Role of Data and Information in the National Food Security Conversation’, organised by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, and the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) in Abuja, Anosike Noted that the food system was increasingly threatened by climate change and its effects were significantly acute in developing countries.

He observed that with heavy reliance on rain-fed agriculture, it is essential to empower farmers with weather and climate information to enable them to mitigate and adapt to the vagaries and complexities of climate change with confidence, and make them resilient by making informed decisions.

The DG restated NiMet’s commitment to providing timely data-driven solutions to curb contemporary climate issues and boost agricultural productivity.

His words: “In recent times, we have seen the effect of climate change in Africa and across the world. The global climate system is very complex and cannot be controlled or managed by one institution or country.

“To be able to influence that system, we have to understand how the system behaves, and that is where meteorology comes in. Meteorology brings climate science and data in support of climate disaster and climate change adaption.”

He added that climate change can impact soil fertility, and spread plant pest and diseases.

The CEO highlighted the integral role of meteorological and climatological data as a crucial element of national food systems data and information tools. “

“Climate data are used for the production of various types of forecast, from seasonal to sub-seasonal and short-range forecasts that impact agricultural production system through the value chain,” he stated.