A section of farmers in Mbita sub-county, Homa Bay County, have benefited from training on how to use weather forecast information to boost crop production. 

Groups of farmers are trained, and then pass the information to their counterparts.

Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) Director Paul Oloo said the weather information is relayed to farmers through WhatsApp, SMS and vernacular radio stations.

“We deliver the weather forecast information to farmers to enable them to know when they should plant their crops, weed and harvest,” Oloo said.

The initiative is dubbed the Weather and Climate Information Services (WISER) programme and the Enhancing Climate Change Resilience in East Africa (ECCREA) Project.

It is funded by the UK and Kenyan governments through various agencies, including KMD and the Kenya Agricultural Research Organisation (Kalro). 

ECCREA project leader Desire Kagabo said their objective is to empower farmers to achieve high crop yield.

Dr Kagabo said planting crops when farmers lack adequate knowledge on weather forecast exposes them to erratic weather which impedes productivity.

“The knowledge of weather forecasts enables farmers to grow their crops in conducive weather.  This enables them to double their harvest,” he said.

He emphasized that the information also helps farmers to prevent post-harvest losses.

“In many cases, post-harvest losses result from erratic weather conditions. This project trains farmers on how to prevent such losses,” he said.

Clapham Rhiannon, a climate advisor at the British High Commission in Nairobi, said the project targets to boost food security. 

“This project provides farmers with real-time weather forecasts, and this enhances agricultural practices,” Rhiannon said. 

Farmers who applied the knowledge from the project said it had enhanced their harvest. 

Samuel Ondiek, a farmer at Agulu Kitwo village, Lambwe West location, in Mbita sub-county, said the knowledge enabled him to get high beans yield. 

“I used to plant my beans without proper consideration of weather and other agricultural practices, and I used to harvest only one 50 kg bag. But this time, I have harvested six bags. This programme is very helpful,” Ondiek said.