MOU MUNICIPAL
The Kafanchan Municipal Authority has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a Weather Forecast Organization, Ignitia, to help farmers and other stakeholders make smarter and more timely decisions during pre-harvest and post-harvest season cutting across the value chain.
The agreement between the duo took place during a Stakeholders training workshop, at the KMA conference room on Thursday, in Jemaa Local Government Area.
Having signed the papers, the Commissioner and Administrator Kafanchan Municipal Authority, Phoebe Sukai Yayi represented by the Acting Director Business and Commercial Services, Justin Ashio, explained that the initiative would go a long way in helping farmers on issues like post harvest losses and to gain information on diseases invading crops causing low yields.
He opined that farmers would be better informed when they aquint themselves with the changes in weather and that with this development, the analog system of depending on weather before seed sowing, during cultivation and after harvest would be over.
Also speaking, the Coordinator, Business Development Lead, Ignitia, Ayobami Oladipo, has said that the organization work mostly with farmers in the Northern part of the country in disseminating the most accurate weather forecast for the tropics, with 87% accuracy of farmers report.
The Coordinator who sighted an instance with Soba Local Government Area, said such forecast has saved many farmers who embraced this development, of 18million naira worth of farm produce spread under the sun, that may probably would have been destroyed by a heavy rain during the harmattan season sometime in December.
Abayomi while reiterating that Unpredictable farming seasons and weather patterns makes the timing of farm activities even more difficult, and that changing behaviors to enhance good agricultural practices can increase yields by up to 30 percent on average across staple and cash crops however encouraged farmers to take advantage of the new initiative.
Some of the stakeholders, traditional rulers, and farmers and some students of Kaduna State University, (KASU) Agricultural Department, Kafanchan Campus who attended the workshop, expressed their feelings .