Strengthening METOS Presence in Africa
Weiz, June 2026 – Agriculture across Africa faces unique challenges. From prolonged droughts and unpredictable rainfall patterns to extreme weather events and increasing pressure on water resources, farmers and agribusinesses rely more than ever on accurate, localized weather and environmental data to make informed decisions.
As climate variability continues to impact agricultural productivity, access to reliable weather intelligence has become a critical component of sustainable farming. Real-time monitoring, data-driven decision support, and precision agriculture technologies help growers reduce risks, optimize resources, improve yields, and protect investments.
To further strengthen our presence and support our growing customer base across Africa, we are pleased to welcome two experienced professionals to the METOS family: Jaco Viviers and Gerrit Möller.
Both Jaco and Gerrit bring extensive experience in agriculture, customer engagement, and business development, along with a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the African agricultural sector.
Their expertise will help us expand our reach, strengthen relationships with growers and partners, and ensure that customers across the region receive the highest level of support in implementing and benefiting from METOS solutions.
Meet Jaco
How do you see weather and environmental data influencing the future of agriculture in Africa?
“Africa’s agricultural sector faces increasing pressure from climate variability, water scarcity, rising input costs, and the need to produce more food sustainably. I believe weather and environmental data will become one of the most valuable inputs on the farm, alongside seed, fertilizer, and machinery.
The future of agriculture in Africa will be driven by data-informed decision-making. Real-time weather observations, soil moisture monitoring, disease forecasting, and hyper-local environmental intelligence will enable farmers to make better decisions on planting, irrigation, spraying, fertilization, harvesting, and risk management,”
explains Jaco, and adds
“In South Africa and across the continent, weather patterns are becoming less predictable. Farmers can no longer rely solely on historical experience. Accurate, localised data will help producers reduce risk, optimise resources, improve yields, and ultimately increase profitability.
I also see weather networks expanding beyond individual farms. By connecting weather stations across co-operatives, agribusinesses, insurers, financiers, and value chains, we can create regional intelligence that improves planning and strengthens food security. The combination of weather data, machine data, satellite imagery, and farm management platforms will become a key driver of precision agriculture and sustainable farming practices in Africa.”
What value do you hope to bring to METOS customers and partners across the region?
“My goal is to help customers move beyond simply owning a weather station and start extracting measurable business value from the data. Having spent many years in precision agriculture, data management, dealer development, and technology adoption, I understand that technology only succeeds when it solves real operational challenges. I aim to bridge the gap between technology and practical farming outcomes.
For customers, I want to help them improve decision-making, reduce risk, save inputs, and maximise return on investment by integrating weather intelligence into their daily operations. For partners such as co-operatives, equipment dealers, agribusinesses, and corporate farming groups, I want to develop scalable programmes that create value across entire regions rather than individual farms. This includes building weather networks, supporting digital agriculture initiatives, and creating recurring value-added services around environmental data. I also believe strongly in education and adoption.
My role is not only to sell solutions but to help customers understand how weather and environmental data can influence every stage of the production cycle. If I can help a farmer make one better irrigation decision, prevent one unnecessary spray application, or avoid one weather-related loss, then the technology has delivered value.
Ultimately, I want to position Pessl Instruments/METOS as a trusted decision-support partner that helps African agriculture become more resilient, productive, and profitable through the intelligent use of weather and environmental data,”
he concludes.
Meet Gerrit
What motivated you to become part of our team?
“Working with Pessl Instruments is a rare chance to learn directly from the gold standard in precision farming.
I joined the team to absorb world-class expertise, master cutting-edge weather station technology, and rapidly develop my skills.
My ultimate goal is to grow alongside the industry’s best and help lead the company’s next wave of innovation,”
explains Gerrit.
“The greatest opportunity for smart farming in Africa lies in replacing regional agricultural guesswork with hyper-local, data-driven precision. By deploying solar-powered smart weather stations across smallholder farms, the continent can leapfrog traditional infrastructure and put real-time micro-climate tracking directly into their growers’ hands. This localized data de-risks unpredictable weather patterns, optimizes water and fertilizer use, and transforms vulnerable subsistence plots into highly predictable, resilient agribusinesses,”he added.
With Jaco and Gerrit joining the team, we are further strengthening our commitment to supporting agriculture across Africa and bringing the benefits of smart farming to more growers, businesses, and agricultural stakeholders.
For more information, please contact us at [email protected].
About Pessl Instruments
For over 41 years, Pessl Instruments has been offering tools for informed decision-making. A complete range of wireless, solar powered monitoring systems under the METOS by Pessl Instruments brand, and an online platform FieldClimate, are applicable in all climate zones and can be used in various industries and for various purposes – from agriculture to research, hydrology, meteorology, flood warning, snow removal, sports turf, smart city and many more.
Over the years, METOS has become a global brand with local support and has managed to reach out to almost every corner of the world. The METOS brand lasts longer, performs better, is easier to use and offers you the lowest total cost of ownership. For more information about Pessl Instruments, visit www.metos.global.
Media contact:
Katja Sevšek
Marketing & PR
[email protected]
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