At the foothills of Mount Kenya, Beth Wanjiku Njiiri smiles as she leads visitors through her farm. She is proud to say that food is in abundant supply in her home.
At a time when Kenya’s subsistence farmers are suffering from low yields, Wanjiku says she expects a good harvest and underscores the importance of timely, accurate weather information, which allows her to plant before the onset of the rains.
During the ploughing season, information about humidity and rain projection is important to a farmer because it can mean the difference between a good harvest and crop failure, says Wanjiku.
Pointing at an adjacent farm, Wanjiku explains the difference between planting two days before the rains and the day the rains begin. If the seeds are planted a week or two in advance, then the soil warmth aids in germination, compared to the day of the rains, when the soil is cooler.
This information is accessible thanks to computerization of the Nyeri Meteorological department and the use of mobile phones to pass the information to farmers via calls or Short Messaging Service.
Kenya’s meteorological department is projecting shortages in food production and supply because of both changing climate conditions and the recent election chaos that disrupted planting and harvesting in most areas.
But Climsoft, software installed at all major weather stations in the country, is helping to alleviate the problem for farmers.
The system comprises a database, which holds climate data for multiple stations; a data entry program, to allow users to add new data to the database in a secure and controlled manner; facilities for importing climate data in various formats; and quality control, which checks data that has been loaded into the database, says Francis Nguattah, the head of the meteorological department in Kenya’s central province.
The software can generate reports, summaries and diagrams. It can also be tailored to local needs, Nguattah added.
Wanjiku, like many farmers in rural areas, does not know how to operate a computer or interpret the data generated by the software; she depends on officers at the meteorological department for translation into her native Gikuyu language. To get the information, a farmer needs to keep in touch with the officers at the weather station, via the phone or by visiting the offices.
Wanjiku has planted three maize varieties on her farm: duma, which matures at three months; 516, which takes five months; and 614, which takes six months.
In the past, the meteorological office used to record the data manually, tabulate it and send the data to the head office. Now, Paul Njogu, the meteorologist at the Nyeri station, is able to quickly tabulate the information and share it with local farmers. The information is shared with other stations via the Internet.
Climsoft requires a 300MHz PC with 64M bytes of memory and 60M bytes of hard disk space. The database will also require additional disk space depending on customization and the amount of data to be stored. The software also requires Windows 95 or later, Access 97 or later, Excel 97 or later, and optionally Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 or later, for modifying or creating data-entry forms and applications.
