Telecoms firms have been urged to launch agribusiness information system meant to provide real time information to farmers on their networks to increase yields and income from the sector2.
Director, Department of General Administration, Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Dr Ademola Adeyemo, said the sector needs such projects to provide farmers with access to agriculture-related information, advice and research.
The service, he explained, should focus on essential crops, such as cassava such as maize, sorghum, rice and cashew, adding that farmers should be able to benefit from weather updates and marketing pricing information.
According to him, farmers should receive daily text messages reporting localised weather information that deliver important, usable information to farmers and extension workers.
He said farmers need information on precipitation, temperature, wind speed, humidity, and growing degree days.
With access to daily, highly localised weather information, provided by the telecom firms in partnership with the meteorological service , farmers, he maintained would be able to make informed decisions and reduce their vulnerability in the face of weather variability.
He stressed the importance of agriculture in the development of the country, explaining that mobile phones can bring tangible economic benefits by mobilising farmers through improved communication.
