The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN) are joining forces to mitigate the devastating impact of climate change on Nigerian farmers.
Both organizations, recognising the crucial role of weather information in agricultural productivity, met to strategise ways to improve climate resilience among smallholder farmers, particularly women and youth.
At a meeting held on March 3, 2025, in Abuja, NiMet’s director-general, Prof. Charles Anosike praised WOFAN’s long-standing contributions to agricultural development. He acknowledged the organisation’s impressive network of nearly 700,000 farmers and its efforts in community-based agricultural projects, including training extension workers. Anosike emphasised that NiMet’s collaboration with WOFAN stands as one of his most significant achievements due to the potential impact on national agricultural output.
He noted that with Nigeria’s heavy dependence on rain-fed agriculture, NiMet’s work would be incomplete without ensuring that its climate information reaches farmers directly. He explained that following the agency’s public release of the 2025 Seasonal Climate Prediction, it became even more critical to equip farmers with timely and actionable weather updates. According to him, the partnership will help farmers prepare for the rainy season, manage pests, minimise crop damage and reduce health risks associated with changing weather patterns. He also highlighted the importance of receiving feedback from farmers to evaluate the impact of NiMet’s forecasts on agricultural yield.
In response, WOFAN’s founder, Hajia Salamatu Garba commended NiMet’s commitment to providing accurate weather data to the public. She explained that WOFAN had always relied on NiMet’s forecasts through secondary sources, but the new partnership would provide direct access to vital climate data, enabling farmers to make more informed decisions.
To formalise their collaboration, NiMet and WOFAN plan to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will outline their joint efforts to improve climate adaptation strategies for Nigerian farmers.
