The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, (FUNAAB) in collaboration with Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) has launched a mobile App that will help farmers predict or forecast the weather in real-time for early warning system on climate change in the southwest.
Deputy Director, Institute of Food Security, Environmental Resources and Agricultural Research of the Institution, Dr. John Oyedepo disclosed that the research sponsored by the (TETFUND) was to assist the country in achieving food security and improve the economic status of the farmers.
Smart agriculture refers to the usage of technologies like internet of things, sensors, location systems, robots and artificial intelligence with the ultimate goal of increasing the quality and quantity of the crops while optimizing the human labor used.
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Oyedepo noted that the partnership was to prepare farmers with alternatives to rain as a source of farming, explaining that the project also provided opportunities on how to farm better during the dry season, adding that farming during dry seasons provide more yield because of less cloud cover, fewer weeds and fewer pests.
He said, “In this part of the world, our farmers are dependent on rain, for instance now, many of them are not going to the farms yet because they don’t know what the rain pattern will be for this year but we can’t continue to wait for the rain. A nation that is rain-fed cannot feed itself because the rain can be erratic.
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“Fortunately, we got support from TETFUND and that has taken us to six states where we have established ‘climate-smart villages’, trained the farmers on the climate-smart agricultural practices, we have developed a mobile App that will help them predict or forecast the weather in real-time.
Also speaking was the Director of Research, Innovations and Partnerships of the University, Dr. Mutiu Busari, noted that the research would assist farmers to make informed decisions to create an impact on their lives.
