The Ghanaian Times published yesterday a forecast by the Meteorological Agency which says that the country is likely to experience low rainfalls characterized by severe thunderstorms and gusty winds this year.
The implications of this prediction are very clear. We do not need another expert to instruct Ghanaians what to do if this forecast comes to pass.
For a country where electricity supply is so erratic and, therefore, unreliable for most parts of the year – in fact, has been for as long as every Ghanaian adult has known since infancy - what this means is that Volta River Authority will be expected to prepare to come out with a workable load-shedding programme, that is, if the thermal options are not able to prop us up.
This, of course, depends on how trustworthy the Meteo Agency’s prediction is. We are aware that many Ghanaians take weather forecast by the agency with a pinch of salt; which is unfair to the agency, in the light of the challenging conditions under which they work and the fame the experienced staff there.
Even the challenging conditions aside, Ghana’s meteorologists have attained a stature comparable to the best that there is anywhere in the world. Mistrust of weathermen seems to be world-wide.
We have tonnes of newspaper clippings in which citizens of the UK, USA, Germany and the Netherlands, among others, have rubbished their Meteo agencies, describing their predictions as unreliable.
Coming back home, the Times warns that playing down or rubbishing the agency’s forecast could be an exercise in self-destruction.
We say this to urge that the weather warning issued by the agency predicting low rainfall but characterized by severe thunderstorms and gusty winds needs to be taken seriously.
Agriculturists will be required to take advantage of this fore-knowledge to get close to the farmers who may not know what to do in such conditions. Even if they knew, they would do with technical advice of the agricultural extension staff of the Ministry. Ignoring to do this will cost the farmers their investments.
The forecast also brings to the fore, the sad commentary of Ghana’s continued reliance on rain-fed agriculture in the first quarter of the 21st century! Between 1998 and 1999, in the heat of the political campaign toward Election 2000, there were promises that this country was going to be fully irrigated agriculture.
In 2010, the poor disenchanted farmer (and indeed, the whole country) still weeps when the rains do not come in the expected quantities.
Perhaps it is too late in the day to be weeping on behalf of Ghanaians about failed promises. The important thing now is that the forecast is staring everybody in the face.
If it comes to pass, what measures have been put in place to ensure that the farmer does not lose everything he has invested?
The implications of this prediction are very clear. We do not need another expert to instruct Ghanaians what to do if this forecast comes to pass.
For a country where electricity supply is so erratic and, therefore, unreliable for most parts of the year – in fact, has been for as long as every Ghanaian adult has known since infancy - what this means is that Volta River Authority will be expected to prepare to come out with a workable load-shedding programme, that is, if the thermal options are not able to prop us up.
This, of course, depends on how trustworthy the Meteo Agency’s prediction is. We are aware that many Ghanaians take weather forecast by the agency with a pinch of salt; which is unfair to the agency, in the light of the challenging conditions under which they work and the fame the experienced staff there.
Even the challenging conditions aside, Ghana’s meteorologists have attained a stature comparable to the best that there is anywhere in the world. Mistrust of weathermen seems to be world-wide.
We have tonnes of newspaper clippings in which citizens of the UK, USA, Germany and the Netherlands, among others, have rubbished their Meteo agencies, describing their predictions as unreliable.
Coming back home, the Times warns that playing down or rubbishing the agency’s forecast could be an exercise in self-destruction.
We say this to urge that the weather warning issued by the agency predicting low rainfall but characterized by severe thunderstorms and gusty winds needs to be taken seriously.
Agriculturists will be required to take advantage of this fore-knowledge to get close to the farmers who may not know what to do in such conditions. Even if they knew, they would do with technical advice of the agricultural extension staff of the Ministry. Ignoring to do this will cost the farmers their investments.
The forecast also brings to the fore, the sad commentary of Ghana’s continued reliance on rain-fed agriculture in the first quarter of the 21st century! Between 1998 and 1999, in the heat of the political campaign toward Election 2000, there were promises that this country was going to be fully irrigated agriculture.
In 2010, the poor disenchanted farmer (and indeed, the whole country) still weeps when the rains do not come in the expected quantities.
Perhaps it is too late in the day to be weeping on behalf of Ghanaians about failed promises. The important thing now is that the forecast is staring everybody in the face.
If it comes to pass, what measures have been put in place to ensure that the farmer does not lose everything he has invested?
