Agricultural extension workers advised to share weather tips with farmers

Farmers displaying their produce during the fair

* Best weather knowledge to famers will help them prepare well for the 2023/24 growing season

* And reduce the impact of disasters by, among other things, helping them to refrain from cultivating along river banks

By Harold Mtepatepa, MANA

Director for Lilongwe District’s agriculture, environment & natural resources, Ezra Mbendera has urged agricultural extension workers to share accurate weather information with farmers for them to make informed decisions on the crops to grow.

Mbendera made the call during a stakeholders meeting and agricultural fair that was organised in conjunction the Department of Disaster & Management Affairs (DoDMA) and Department of Climate Change & Meteorological Services, which was aimed at briefing 38 extension workers on 2023/24 rainfall season for Lilongwe.

He said best weather knowledge to famers will help them prepare well for the 2023/24 growing season and reduce the impact of disasters by, among other things, helping them to refrain from cultivating along river banks.

“Extension workers play a crucial role in disseminating information to the farmers, hence the need to provide relevant information that will lead to bumper harvest.

“We are expecting them to intensify the awareness so that farmers can use the knowledge gained in their farms,” he said.

One of the extension workers, Alamesi Chinyanga, commended Meteorological Department and DoDMA for the initiative, saying the messages will assist farmers in choosing the appropriate crops to grow according to the projected rainfall pattern for 2023/24 growing season.

Principal Meteorologist, Paulos Mughogho said weather forecasts are very crucial in preventing emergencies and developing action plans for farmers.

According to Meteorological Department, Lilongwe District is expected to receive normal rainfall in 2023/24 rainy season and the seasonal length is expected to range from 115 to 145 days with some parts of the district expected to have dry spell.

Meanwhile, one of the worlds technology company, IBM® — in collaboration with global nonprofit Heifer International — have developed a digital application named OpenHarvest that has proved successful for over 200 smallholder farmers in Mchinji District.

Developed through the IBM Sustainability Accelerator, the OpenHarvest app is set to empower more Malawian smallholder farmers through technology and a community ecosystem.

A statement from the two institutions, says Malawian farmers rely on predictable rain seasons but that is steadily shifting due to climate change and when the rainy season arrives later than expected, many still follow outdated agronomy practices that may lead them to plant too early or too late.

 

The project took cognizance that Malawi is landlocked country and home to rich, arable land and a subtropical climate suitable for farming.

“As a result, over 80% of the population is employed in agriculture, and their livelihood revolves around alternating rainy and dry seasons that dictate how the year’s planting, growing and harvesting will unfold.

“Smallholder farmers lack access to hyperlocal weather forecasting and data that can help increase their crops’ chances of success, which jeopardizes the productivity and profitability of their season.

“Their challenges are compounded further by inherent and unavoidable farming risks, such as pests, contamination and natural disasters.”

Thus it was considered that with access to advanced technology, smart farming recommendations and specialized weather forecasts, farmers can build resilient and flexible operations that can help maximize their fields’ productive potential.

OpenHarvest was devised to close the digital divide that they were challenged with. It is an open source platform with a mobile application that expands access to visual agricultural data, delivers specialized recommendations to farmers through AI and climate modeling, and enables better farm and field management.

 “The OpenHarvest model assigns each participating farmer’s field a set of latitude-longitude points that trigger comprehensive recommendations according to local weather and crop growth stages.

“Additionally, it monitors soil composition data (nitrogen, phosphorous and other nutrient levels) to identify how fertilizers should be applied.”

The statement further says right from the beginning, Heifer International and IBM sought to develop a low-cost tool that maximizes output.

“A serverless architecture was ideal to keep infrastructure costs to a minimum under a ‘pay-per-use’ model. IBM Cloud Code Engine allowed IBM developers to reduce time to deployment and focus on core objectives for Heifer International and the farms at the heart of the project — namely, being cost-effective, scalable and reliable.

“Historically, Malawian farmers have relied on generalized weather information transmitted via radio to make operational decisions. Most farmers do not own smartphones, so Heifer International and IBM had to find an information-sharing method that could transmit precise crop and soil management recommendations generated by the OpenHarvest model, while remaining accessible and affordable to the end user. The solution was an SMS text message.

“IBM Consulting also brought their sustainability experience to the pilot deployment of the OpenHarvest solution, joining a project ecosystem that included Heifer International’s community facilitators, volunteers from a local university in Malawi and smallholder farmers.

“It was crucial to support farmers not only with smart technology, but with a network of hands-on experts to help build trust and implement solutions.”

Taking cognizance that climate change is not the only risk that smallholder farmers encounter in Malawi, whose economy relies on agriculture, “farmers have limited access to affordable credit or competitive markets”.

“The cycle of poverty and lack of access to capital have historically pushed farmers in Malawi to purchase cheaper supplies (like recycled seed) which can result in low yields and subpar crops.

“For this reason, access to affordable capital can be an essential component to promote environmentally resilient practices and drive behavioral change.

“IBM and Heifer International saw an opportunity to incentivize farmers to adopt best agricultural practices through a digital extension solution, while simultaneously facilitating connections to access finance and the formal market.

“Ultimately, the OpenHarvest platform is differentiated by this structure, which encourages farmers to embrace digital technology and retain new farming practices — leading to long-term profitability and success in a changing environment and economy.

Having attained positive impact in Mchinji where OpenHarvest reached out to 200 users that translated to about 1,000 direct beneficiaries — from an average family size of about 5 people — Heifer International plans to expand it to other districts.

“The pilot deployment has now concluded with the sale of the year’s crops,” said the statement. “Compared to previous years, most farmers saw increased yields, with some participants even doubling or tripling their output for the season.

“As a next step, Heifer International plans to onboard around 300 additional farmers and expand the project into Kasungu. Looking ahead, the program is also evaluating other innovations, such as building out robust AI models and AI integrations based on a roadmap developed with IBM.

“IBM and Heifer International are proud to help to change lives in Malawi and build sustainable farming solutions alongside farmers and their communities.”—Additional reporting by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express