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This paper is based on the results of a pilot project conducted to strengthen Nigerian Meteorological Agency's (NIMET) capacity to provide reliable planting date forecast in Nigeria. This aspect of the project aimed at understanding traditional knowledge base and farmers' prediction methods, community perceptions of impacts of rainfall variability, coping strategies and opportunities in Sokoto, Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Bauchi states of Nigeria. Based on prevalence of drought, a community was selected for survey in each of the five states. Semi-structured interview and focus group discussion were used to sources for information. The survey indicates that the farmers had good understanding of weather and climatic dynamics of their community. The farmers in the study locations characterize a year into five seasons based on the atmospheric temperature as felt by the body, changes in wind direction, farming activities, and the behavioral changes of some animal and birds and phenological changes in plant species. Rainfall variability in the community has altered the farming systems, either in terms of changes in cropping pattern, elimination/reduction in the level of producing some crops or introduction of new crop varieties that are drought resistant and early maturing, and diversification of source of livelihood (non-farm activities). Impacts of rainfall variability in the communities were asserted to include; poor yield, low prices of crop/livestock, low dowry for their daughters, high cost of labor as a result of migration to urban centers, inadequate water for dry season farming, low income, low standard of living, and high level of poverty. Farmers recommended an integration of traditional proven methods of rainfall prediction with scientific methods to evolve reliable forecast that will reduce risks in their rainfed farming systems.

Corchorus olitorius root is another good source of phytomedicine that can be used effectively to treat inflammation and pyrexia that accompany some diseases.

This study analyses farmers' overall efficiency in Pineapple production in Edo State, Nigeria. Data were collected through well structured questionnaire administered on 175 Pineapple farmers selected using a multi-stage sampling technique and analyzed using descriptive statistics and the stochastic frontier production and cost function models. The result of the study revealed that while farm size and labour significantly influenced production efficiency, the cost of farm and suckers and output were significant in influencing cost efficiency. The mean technical, allocative and economic efficiencies of the farmers were 0.70, 0.68 and 0.64 respectively indicating ample opportunity for farmers to increase their productivity through improvement in their technical and allocative efficiencies. The return to scale (RTS) for the production function revealed that the farmers operated in the rational zone (stage II) of the production surface having an RTS of 0.52. The analysis further indicated that the presence of technical and allocative inefficiencies had effect on Pineapple production as depicted by the significant estimated gamma coefficient of each model and the predicted technical and allocative efficiencies within the farmers. The study recommends the need to increase output through more intensive use of land, availability of high yielding Pineapple varieties and the effective and efficient utilization of labour and fertilizer inputs. It also recommends that farmers be encouraged to join cooperatives and extension services should intensify their efforts in training and mobilizing farmers for improved Pineapple production. An easier access to credit from formal sources, notably micro-credit institutions and farmers' education are essential to improve productivity and profitability of Pineapple production in Nigeria. Policies that focuses on ways of attracting and encouraging the youths who are agile and stronger to embark on Pineapple production should be pursued such as the setting up of fruit processing factories or industries in the rural areas.

Inefficiency in Shea butter marketing is one of the major challenging phases in