Seasonal Climate Prediction To Help Farmers To Increase Productivity – Abdullahi

The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, has said the timely release of Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) would help farmers in decision-making and agricultural planning.

Naijaonpoint reports that Senator Abdullahi stated this during the presentation of the 2025 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) with the theme ‘The Role of Early Warnings towards a Climate Resilient Aviation Industry for Sustainable Socio-Economic Development,’ by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) held in Abuja, on Tuesday.

In a statement by the Ministry’s spokesman, Ezeaja Ikemefuna, the Minister explained that the SCP would serve as a useful guide to farmers while addressing poverty, hunger and food security.

“The SCP is a useful advisory guide to farmers. It offers site-specific downscaling and, when applied, will boost the adaptive capacity and resilience of farmers to the impact of climate change,” he said.

While noting the importance of early warning signals, Senator Abudullahi stressed that SCP would help in mitigating risks in the agricultural sector and aid decsion making.

“Early warning systems and climate intelligence are indispensable for resilience, adaptation, and economic stability. Seasonal climate prediction is germane to the nation’s agricultural sector. It will serve as a strategic guide for planning, decision-making, and risk mitigation,” he stated.

He highlighted that the agricultural sector contributed 17.22 percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2024. He expressed optimisim that with SCP, farming would be more productive in the year.

“The agricultural sector contributed 17.22 percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product in the first quarter of 2024, with smallholder farmers making up more than 70 percent of the workforce’.

“SCP will enable farmers to increase productivity, while poverty, hunger, food insecurity, malnutrition, food imports, and unemployment will reduce, even as women’s empowerment in agriculture and environmental performance will increase,” he stated.

The Minister lauded the collaborative efforts between NiMet and the Ministry in integrating climate intelligence into agricultural practices, stating, “the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is fully supporting and committed to the early warning system, climate-smart agriculture, and every development initiative to achieve food security and a resilient environment.”