Addressing climate change to boost crop, livestock production

THE call to address climate change is no longer a distant aspiration, it has become a daily reality which if not adhered to will have an everlasting effect on African farmers, herders, and households grappling with a climate in flux.

A symposium, themed “Climate Resilience in Action: Collaborative Approaches to Adaptation,” brought together some of the continent’s most committed actors in agricultural innovation, climate science, and policy reform.

The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Michigan State University (MSU), and Sahel Consulting co-hosted the event, joined by policymakers, government officials, development partners, technologists, and scientists. At the heart of their dialogue: how to make Africa’s smallholder farmers and pastoralists not just survive, but thrive, despite an increasingly unpredictable climate.

Kayode Sanni, representative of the AATF’s, in an opening remark, stated “Climate change is no longer an abstraction”. he said “it is personal. It is here. It is reshaping the growing season, the fertility of our soils, and the very rhythms that farmers depend on.”

Sanni underscored the disproportionate burden borne by women and youth, who form the bulk of Africa’s agricultural workforce. But he didn’t dwell on despair. Instead, he offered a compelling vision, one anchored in technological innovation, collaborative partnerships, and inclusive development.

Central to that vision is an ongoing project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that brings together AATF, MSU, the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Benue State University, the Government of Gombe State, and the Cereal Growers Association of Kenya. The project targets micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), particularly those led by women and youth, across the rice, maize, and cowpea value chains.

These enterprises are equipped with Climate Smart Decision Support Systems, tools that integrate localized weather data, agronomic best practices, and real-time market access. “What we are doing is ensuring that farmers are no longer farming blind”, Sanni said.

One of the most innovative ideas came from Michigan State University’s Dr. Daniel Uyeh, who leads the development of low-cost, open-source weather stations tailored to Africa’s unique needs. “This is not just about weather tech, it’s about democratising data”, he said.

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These modular weather stations are already operational in parts of Nigeria and Kenya. They do more than predict rain; they’re empowering farmers to decide when to plant, extension agents to anticipate pest outbreaks, and schools to integrate real climate data into STEM curricula.

The dream, Uyeh noted, is to build a dense, continent-wide mesh of real-time, community-driven climate intelligence. “Africa cannot afford to depend on imported satellite data alone,” he warned. “We need to own our weather, from Sokoto to the Niger Delta.”

This vision hinges on inclusive partnerships, not just with governments and donors, but with private agri-tech startups like TomorrowNow and Esoko, who can transform pilot projects into self-sustaining platforms embedded in everyday agricultural life.

Representing the Minister of Livestock Development, Professor Eustace Iyayi, expanded the conversation from crops to livestock. “The livelihoods of over 30 million Nigerians are tied to livestock, but climate change is straining our rangelands, drying our watering holes, and spreading transboundary diseases”, he said.

With rising temperatures and erratic rainfall, Nigeria’s livestock sector, which currently contributes 5 percent to national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), faces an existential threat. But the Ministry sees opportunity: through the Nigeria Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy (NL-GAS), the government is aiming to grow the sector into a $90 billion industry by 2035.

“Climate-smart livestock development is not a luxury, it is a necessity”, Professor Iyayi said. He outlined a three-pronged strategy: adaptation (through resilient breeds and sustainable grazing), mitigation (reducing emissions and managing waste), and resilience (by investing in the most vulnerable, women, youth, and smallholders).

Director-General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Professor Charles Anosike, brought the conversation back to the bedrock of effective climate response: accurate, localized weather forecasting.

With over 924,000 square kilometers of land, Nigeria remains drastically underserved by current meteorological infrastructure. “Over 60% of our weather data is still collected manually, this limits accuracy and delays response”, Anosike explained.

To solve this, NiMet is advocating for a nationwide network of automatic weather stations, supplemented by digital tools, mobile dissemination, and artificial intelligence. These stations would not only protect crops and livestock but also serve as decision-making beacons across health, water, and urban planning sectors.

But Anosike noted that “technology alone is not enough. We need partnerships, deep, sustained, cross-sector collaborations, to translate weather forecasts into life-saving decisions on the ground.”

All the stakeholders resonated that the climate crisis cannot be tackled in silos. From rice fields in Benue to cattle corridors in Yobe, Africa needs a coalition-driven, systems-based approach.

The future being imagined here isn’t one of high-tech isolation, but of grassroots empowerment. It is a future where data doesn’t sit in servers, but flows into the hands of the farmer choosing when to plant or the herder selecting where to graze.

As the symposium concluded, there was no mistaking the urgency in the room. Climate resilience isn’t a choice, it is an imperative. “Resilience is not just bouncing back, it is moving forward, stronger, wiser, and together”, Professor Iyayi reminded attendees.

From Abuja’s bustling halls to Nigeria’s far-flung fields, a new chapter is beginning to unfold — one where weather stations become tools of empowerment, livestock become engines of adaptation, and every farmer becomes a frontline climate warrior.