The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) has predicted that this year’s rainfall will cease in parts of Niger State around November, naming three local government areas in particular: Katcha, Agaie and Lapai.
This prediction was made by Malam Garba Ibrahim, lead facilitator for HEDA , during a one-day seminar for farmers hailing from nine local government areas of the Niger South Senatorial District in Bida. He also noted that places like Suleja, Lapai, Bida and Lavun are expected to have the longest period of rainfall in the state, lasting for 170 days.
HEDA is a non-governmental organization and non-partisan human rights and development league that conducts research, training and mobilization on core human development issues, including agriculture, food security, climate change, human rights, public sector accountability and electoral reform processes.
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The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), one of three joint organizers of the seminar, is a government agency responsible for the observation, collation, collection, processing and dissemination of all meteorological data. It also publishes scientific papers in various branches of meteorology in support of sustainable socio-economic activities in Nigeria.
The seminar was mutually hosted by HEDA, NiMet and the Community Action for Food Security Initiative to enlighten farmers on how to effectively use NiMet’s meteorological predictions to improve farming and agricultural production.
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“There is currently a gap between states agriculture development authorities and NiMet which has resulted in under-utilisation of climate information services from the agency in policies, planning and programmes,” said Ibrahim.
Using NiMet’s rainfall predictions for 2020, Ibrahim further explained that the total volume of rainfall will range from 880 millimeters to 1,350 millimeters in the southern part of the state.
According to Ibrahim, the growing season across the state will end around October in Rijau, Mariga Agwara, Borgu and Kontagora Local Government Areas.
