Nigeria’s dry season agriculture starts in late October and runs until late March. Dry periods are worst from early December to late February. Nigeria’s patterns and unpredictable rainfall mean that farmers have to participate in dry season agriculture to increase their income.
Which is the reason you should know what the weather says before planting. These are ways farmers check the weather before they start planting.
- Farmer Versus Unpredictable Weather
A farmer can’t fight the weather. However, he can adopt the given situation and take additional farm management practices to minimize crop losses. Therefore, accurate information regarding the weather is important so that farm activity can be planned without adverse events.
Being aware of real-time weather conditions like air and dew temperature, precipitation, and humidity is the best way to protect crops and secure a high and healthy yield.
Extreme weather such as drought, flood, hail, or frost can cause instant plant stress, thus leading to failed production and increased cost
2. Flooded Vineyard
The only way to manage and ensure profitable crop production is accurate weather forecasts. Available on any device (radio, TV, mobile, or computer), it gives great value to farmers whose success largely depends on the weather.
3. Weather Monitoring Determines Farmers’ Success
Crop growth is closely related to the weather. Some crops require certain high or low temperatures to start their germination and continue further development.
On the other hand, temperatures in combination with humidity are often used to predict various insect pest and disease occurrences.
Based on this information, farmers can plan times for sowing, protection, harvesting, and other field activities in order to avoid negative weather effects and yield losses.
Weather monitoring offers a set of measurement options to provide useful information about soil and crop conditions, some of which are:
- Air And Soil Temperature
- Relative Humidity
- Soil Moisture
- Rainfall
- Wind Speed/Direction
- Evapotranspiration
All measured parameters can be used for specific field operations, such as an irrigation events schedule, pest alarm models, as well as the determination of the right time for crop fertilization and protection.
Farming based on weather data is crucial to successful farm management. More importantly, it ensures sustainable farming, thus protecting the environment.
