They harvested maize from the demonstration farms that were used as pilot by Ignitia Ghana Limited Obawale and Sodjonu communities in the Yilo Krobo Municipality.

Ignitia Ghana Ltd is a company that provides weather forecast service and climate smart solutions to help farmers mitigate the effects of climate change through smart phones and Short Message Services (SMS).

The company used the two farms of the same size where it used the weather forecast to prepare the land and plant the maize while in the other, it planted using the general weather pattern.

The farms that used the innovation achieved 430 plant stands and 430 cobs during harvesting, while the other farms that lacked the services and a precise planting date, yielded 320 plant stands and 297 cobs on the same land size utilised for the purposes of yield estimations. 

Impact

Assessing the impact of the intervention on yields, the Municipal Agricultural Extension Officer for Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly, Dr Francis Nii Clottey Odonkor, said the service had helped the farmers to have access frequent and specific location predictions of rainfall, dryness, and drought.

This, he said, had helped the farmers to manage their farms and also appreciate the benefit of the weather forecast service through the demonstration farms established in the communities by Ingitia Ghana Ltd.

“This intervention has helped us to provide advanced warning of rains or dry days to our farmers in the various communities,” Dr Odonkor said, and commended Ignitia Ghana Limited for introducing farmers in the municipality to its weather forecasting services.

The municipal agric extension officer also said the demonstration farms had encouraged the farmers to embrace the service adding that, “the positive response from farmers at Ignitia's demonstration farms underscores their eagerness to adopt this innovative approach for improving yields”.

Ignitia used demonstration farms in the two communities to demonstrate to the farmers how the use of the forecast service could help the farmers to increase their yields. 

Results

Addressing the farmers, the Business Advisor for Ignitia Ghana Ltd, Miranda Pabby, said the difference in the yields from the two farms clearly showed how the use of Ignitia’s accurate weather predictions helped in obtaining higher germination rate and yield.

She said the primary objective of the company was to collaborate with agribusinesses working with small-scale farmers in Ghana and throughout West and East Africa by delivering reliable SMS forecasts to mitigate risks and losses due the climate. 

Innovation embraced

More than 80 maize farmers in Obawale and Sodjonu communities, who took part in the programme, were excited about the results and commended ignitia Ghana Ltd for introducing them to the weather forecast SMS services.

John Kwame Mautsuemi and Ama Augustina Amanor, maize farmers in the Obawale community, said previously, they used to harvest between five and seven bags per acre unlike now, where they harvested between 12 and 15 bags on the same land size.

“We also express gratitude to ignitia Ghana for supporting farmers by providing them with innovative SMS weather alert services,” they said.