New Weather Stations Strengthen Cassava Research

  


Story by: Nana Reuben

The ACE4ES Multicultural Technology Park (MTP) has taken a major step toward becoming a regional agriculture data and learning hub following the successful installation of two advanced weather stations at its cassava research fields in Fumesua.
Between 15 and 19 December 2025, UK-based technology experts Joshua Brett and Cevdet Bulut led the deployment of the system at the cassava section of CSIR-Crops Research Institute. One station enables continuous transmission of temperature, rainfall, humidity, solar radiation, and leaf wetness data, while the second captures wind speed and direction. Together, they provide a high-resolution environmental picture critical for understanding disease dynamics in cassava under changing climate conditions.
The new infrastructure strengthens ongoing work under the UK–Brazil–Ghana Partnership for Cassava Disease Prevention. By integrating historic environmental data, visual symptom scoring, environmental risk indices, and disease severity measurements, the project is laying the groundwork for training AI-based sensors and predictive models. These tools will support early warning systems that allow farmers and extension services to act before outbreaks escalate, reducing losses and dependence on routine chemical control.


The installation was carried out through close collaboration between the UK team and Ghanaian scientists and technicians, including Dr. Gordon Akon-Yamga, Dr. Kwaku Onwona-Hwesofour Asante, Dr. Zippora Appiah-Kubi, Mr. Kwame O. Simpe, Sarah Odame Afari, Reuben Nutefe Kuavedzi, and a dedicated field and plant health team supporting data capture and system calibration.
Beyond cassava disease prediction, this development positions the ACE4ES MTP as a regional platform for integrated agricultural intelligence. The same data systems will support validation of climate-smart and low-emission farming practices, linking early warning systems for pests and diseases with greenhouse gas mitigation research, agroecology training, and farmer learning.
As climate pressures intensify across West Africa, the ACE4ES Multicultural Technology Park is emerging as a space where science, technology, and practice converge, turning real-time data into practical solutions for resilient and sustainable agriculture.

 

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