Met Dept issues rain gauges to farmers

Agriculture Reporter
The Meteorological Services Department is issuing rain gauges to farmers to broaden its area coverage and assist the latter in planning their agricultural activities.
The rain gauges will be used to measure rainfall at individual farms.
Agro-meteorological officer Mr John Mupuro last Friday said the programme was meant to help farmers carry out weather analysis at their farms.
“We also teach the farmers to take readings. The farmer will be in a position to know the rainfall pattern at his farm and this will enable him to successfully plan his agricultural activities.
“The farmers will also send their readings to the Met Office and this will help us improve our rainfall analysis,” he said.
He said the programme was run on a voluntary basis.
“The programme also includes police stations, agricultural institutions and prisons out of Harare,” Mr Mupuro said.
Rain gauges should not be within a 5km radius of each other and 336 have been issued countrywide. Besides giving farmers rain gauges, the department also offers rainfall forecasts to farmers.
The public forecast is free and farmers can access it through the media. However, more detailed information is available from the Met Office at a charge.
Only the Agriculture Ministry, as a matter of national policy, gets the information for free.
Mr Mupuro said his department conducts outreach programmes to farmers and gives them useful information such as seasonal forecasts, mid-season forecasts, rainfall bulletins and agro-meteorological information.
“For the rainfall bulletin and agrometerological information, farmers pay a fee of around US$400 depending with the method of dissemination,” he said.
Farmers can get the information through email, collection or post.
Mr Mupuro said farmers could also get advice by calling the central forecast office.
Farmers can get three-day forecasts and forecasts for individual farms every ten days.