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The provision of timely and precise weather information could reduce the vulnerability of people to climate change risks. In this study, we conduct a systematic review to synthesize the existing evidence on weather information services for the agriculture, water, and energy sectors of East and West Africa and identify priorities for future research. This systematic review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement checklist. The review identified relevant peer-reviewed publications using ScienceDirect and Scopus databases for original research articles published in English from 2000 to 2022. After applying the eligibility criteria, 25 articles were included in the final review. The themes emerging from the articles were extracted, and a summary was provided to illustrate each theme. The review revealed that weather information studies focus more on the agriculture sector than energy production and water resource management. Users of weather information mainly accessed information related to rainfall and temperature, and the information was accessed mainly through radio, mobile phones, and television. Most of the information provided focused on generic meteorological forecasts instead of tailored impact-based forecasts. Only very few users can access, or benefit from the information produced due to poor communication and technical understanding of weather information. In addition, a lack of downscaled information, logistics, and trust hinders the uptake and use of climate information. Consequently, mainstreaming capacity-building of key stakeholders is required to promote effective adoption and strengthening of climate information services across East and West Africa.Systematic Review Registration: [website], identifier [registration number].

Weather and climate information trigger early action and facilitate better disaster preparedness. Decision-driven and people-centered weather and climate information are pivotal for the effective uptake. The challenge of early responses in preparing for drought hazard is growing in the dry savannah of tropical sub-Saharan African countries. This paper analyzed user needs for weather and climate information in fostering drought risk preparedness in Central-Southern Nigeria. Stratified, snowball, and simple random samplings were used to obtain a sample of 397 respondents across the agro-ecological zones of Edo State. Structured questionnaire was used to collect farm-level household data across communities. Eight focus group discussions and 11 key informants' interviews were conducted, targeting contact farmers and other agricultural stakeholders in selected key economic sectors of Edo State, Central-Southern Nigeria. Results show that non-users of weather and climate information are more than users in the savannah area. Heckman probit results explained that male gender, farmers' experience, income, and persistent incidence of erratic rainfall have more propensity to facilitate use of WCI in taking critical decisions while group membership or associations and distance of meteorological station prevent stakeholders from developing interest in using WCI for drought preparedness and response. Multi-criteria decision-making indicated that rainfall amount, onset and cessation rainfall dates, and rainfall distributions are the most useful WCI needed by end users in their decision response plan in agriculture; rainfall intensity, rainfall cessation date, rainfall distributions, and length of dry season are ranked as the most useful WCI for water resource management while heat intensity, rainstorms, and drought alerts were ranked as most appropriate for users in the disaster risk reduction in fostering resilience toward anticipated future drought hazard. Subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) and medium (4–10 days) timescales information are the most highly rated to facilitate resource planning for efficient utilization and management in all the economic sectors. The users' most preferred delivery method of receiving WCI are mobile telephone, radio, agricultural extension officers, farmers' groups, and contact farmers/specialist for efficiency and convenient criteria in enhancing users' decision capacity to uptake WCI. There is a need for a policy drive to build synergy that will make WCI forecasting systems include impact-based forecast estimates and response advisory across a wide range of natural hazards. A seamless collaborative effort in bringing scientific outputs and users' needs together will increase the utility of WCI through systematic efforts. NiMet should improve on its engagement with the stakeholders, the agricultural extension and planning office, water management authorities, and disaster risk reduction and emergency response personnel as partner institutions. These policy actions would provide a robust collaborative framework for co-producing useable WCI based on user needs in managing decision points against extreme events and mainstream preparedness into existing decision-making apparatus of rural communities in Central-Southern Nigeria.

A better understanding of soil fertility factors that constraint positive crop response to fertilizer inputs will facilitate the improvement of soil nutrient management. In this study, a nutrient omission trial was carried out in a greenhouse condition to identify soil chemical properties limiting in non-responsive soils and to ascertain their effect on soybean (Glycine max) production. The treatments evaluated were control (distilled water), complete nutrient solution (all nutrients), and complete solution with the omission of each of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and S and micronutrients (Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, B, and Mo) arranged in a completely randomized design with three replications. After the greenhouse study, the identified limiting nutrients were tested with or without FertiSoil (commercial compost) in a 3 year field experiment. Results of the soil analyses showed low fertility status of the non-responsive soils. The sufficiency quotient index revealed non-responsive soils in all the sites to be predominantly limiting in P and K. The occurrence of other limiting nutrients was also identified: Pishegu (Zn, B), Serekpere (Mg, S), Daffiama Saapare (Ca, Mg, S), and Naaga (Mg, S, Zn, B). The nutrient inputs positively influenced soybean yield response in all the locations. The application of PKZnB with FertiSoil and FertiSoil alone significantly increased soybean grain yields by 585 and 477 kg ha−1, respectively, at Pishegu. Soybean grain yields also increased by 585, 573, and 364 kg ha−1 under the FertiSoil, PKMgS + FertiSoil, and PKMgS applications at Serekpere, respectively. At Daffiama Saapare, the highest (103%) percent increase in soybean grain yield was recorded from the combined application of PKMgSCa and FertiSoil. However, the application of FertiSoil and PKMgSCa singly equally increased soybean grain yield by 77%. Percent soybean grain yield increases of 86, 84, and 74% were observed when PKMgSZnB + FertiSoil, PKMgSZnB, and FertiSoil were applied, respectively, at Naaga. In absolute terms, 83% of the fields had a positive response to mineral fertilizer and 93% to FertiSoil and mineral fertilizer + FertiSoil applications. Organic amendment and/or site-specific fertilizer applications are the best options for alleviating poor or no crop responses to inputs and improve productivity on non-responsive soils.