top of page

Daily Weather Forecasts Sent via SMS are Transforming Farmers' Lives in West Africa

  • Jeanne Finestone
  • Dec 23, 2015
  • 1 min read

Ignitia, a high-tech social enterprise, has joined the Business Call to Action (BCtA) with a commitment to deliver reliable, targeted, low-cost tropical weather forecasts via text messages to 1.2 million small-scale farmers in west Africa by the end of 2017. BCtA is a global initiative that encourages companies to fight poverty through inclusive business models. It is supported by the United Nations development programme (UNDP) and other international organisations.

Small-scale farmers in the tropics have limited access to reliable weather forecasts, which seriously constrains their ability to plan farming activities. To fill this gap, Ignitia created a forecasting model that creates reliable, GPS-specific weather forecasts. Two-day, monthly and seasonal forecasts are sent to customers via SMS. Launched in Ghana in 2014, iska has proven to be 84% accurate compared with global forecasts, such as those found on the BBC or CNN, which only achieve 39% accuracy in west Africa.

Ben Lyon

 
 
 

Comments


Like what you read? Donate now and help DRP implement more projects that help communities adapt to the effects of climate change.

Donate with PayPal

© 2017 by Developing Radio Partners.

bottom of page