Homa Bay launches centre inform farmers on weather patterns

Homa Bay county has launched an information centre for collecting and disseminating information on climate change and weather patterns for farmers.

The information center has administrators who will receive calls from already registered farmers and advise them on weather change and patterns.

The administrators can also send text messages to farmers across the county based on their GPS location.

Voice note has also been introduced as part of providing advisory to the farmers.

Some of the information the center will send include, a 14 day weather forecast and what farmers should do to ensure sustainable agriculture.

Governor Gladys Wanga urged residents to take advantage of the centre to understand weather patterns and when to grow crops.

She said the centre operates using a toll free number.

“The unpredictability of weather patterns has pushed us to have the centre for sustainable agricultural production. Let residents use the centre for advisory on weather changes,” Wanga said. 

She spoke when she officially opened the centre yesterday.

The launch was attended by Homa Bay Deputy Governor Oyugi Magwanga, the county director for climate change Roy Odongo and climatologist Clifford Omondi.

Wanga said the county got the idea of having a weather and climate change centre during Cop27 summit held in Egypt last year.

She said the centre can also be used as an emergency centre during disasters.

Homa Bay partnered with Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation and Tomorrow Now to develope the centre.

More than 245,000 farmers have already registered with the centre.

Wanga said the centre will reduce accidents that occur due to bad weather in the lake by giving fishermen prior information.

 “The advice includes probability of rainfall in a given area. Administrators are at the centre to send accurate information to individual farmers based on what they grow,” she said.

Homa Bay is among the leading counties in implementing climate change policies.

The county assembly had to pass a legislation to pave way for the creation of the centre.

“Weather information will enable farmers to know when to undertake different farm activities such as weeding and fertiliser application,” Magwanga said.

 Tomorrow Now Country Director Ronald Dianga said the technology they are using is able to provide farmers with real time information about weather.

“We provide digital climate advisory which includes the amount of rainfall. Farmers will be able to know what to do for maximum agricultural production,” Dianga said.

The call centre currently works for eight hours during the day.

Plans are underway to make it operate for 24 hours.

Omondi said the platform will provide environment monitoring system for farmers in Homa Bay.

“The county government can use it to develop a corresponding network for farmers and provide an opportunity to address the adverse effects with regards to climate change,” Omondi said.