The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Project are set to partner on the development of a customised Digital Precision Agricultural Extension (DPAE) platform aimed at supporting smallholder farmers across northern Nigeria.
During a briefing at NiMet’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, the National Project Coordinator of ACReSAL, Mukhtar Tanko, outlined the rationale behind the partnership. He emphasised that NiMet is a critical stakeholder in the successful development, deployment and long-term sustainability of the proposed digital platform.
Tanko explained that Sub-Component B2 of the ACReSAL Project is designed to assist households in optimising climate-smart, rain-fed agricultural practices. Achieving this, he said, would require integrating real-time and forecasted weather data into farming decisions to boost productivity, reduce losses, and build resilience against climate shocks.
According to him, the Federal Government, through the ACReSAL initiative, plans to develop a tailor-made DPAE platform that will serve as a digital agricultural advisory service for smallholder farmers in semi-arid northern states. The platform will deliver timely and personalised agricultural information, including weather forecasts, input recommendations, market prices and other farming advisories.
In response, the director-general of NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike welcomed the collaboration and expressed optimism about its potential impact. “You cannot practice precision agriculture without accurate weather and climate information,” he stated. “We already have an existing relationship with ACReSAL that has been productive, and we look forward to strengthening it further. NiMet must be involved in co-developing this dashboard to ensure it is interactive and accessible to farmers.”
The DPAE platform will also serve as a coordination tool, bringing together key players in the agricultural value chain – including farmers, public extension officers, input dealers, market traders, processors, and mechanisation service providers. It aims to bridge the information gap and enhance the delivery of extension and advisory services to improve agricultural outcomes in the region.
