How do farmers know when to plant their seeds? In Europe, farmers rely on high-quality weather data to determine optimal planting dates. In Africa, however, weather stations are scarce, resulting in poor rainfall predictions. This is particularly problematic for farmers in tropical regions, where start of the rainy season determines planting times. For centuries African farmers have relied on traditional methods to determine the onset of the rainy season. Yet, with climate change the predictable behavior of the season has become erratic. False starts have become common, where a few days of intensive rain (signalling the start of the rainy season) are followed by serious dry spells. African farmers need the same high-quality data as in Europe to adapt to a changing climate, protect them from false starts, and improve their crop yields and livelihoods.
The TU Delft and TAHMO (Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory) have launched a project with the Netherlands Embassy in Ghana to improve local weather data, help Ghanaian farmers get actionable information from it and with it foster a climate-smart horticultural sector in Ghana. At FutureWater, we support the project by researching optimal planting dates for horticultural crops that are commonly grown in Ghana, such as tomato, eggplants, and onions. The end goal is to supply farmers and extension officers with location-specific information on optimal planting dates for different horticultural crops.
Our methodology is inspired by earlier work led by TU Delft. The FAO AquaCrop model is used simulate crop growth and yields under different possible planting dates based on data of the local climate and local soil conditions, considering the spatial variability across the country. Different planting strategies are analyzed, to assess the effectiveness of both traditional and weather-data informed planting strategies. FutureWater uses the open-source Python version of AquaCrop, developed by Manchester University.
This project will not just explore new ground on sowing windows in Ghana, but it will also provide actionable information for Ghanaian farmers and help them better prepare for an already changing climate.
