The Effect of Climate Variability on Maize Production in the Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipality, Ghana
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Date
2021
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mdpi.com
Abstract
Agriculture is one of the sectors most susceptible to changes in climatic conditions. The
impact is even stronger in Africa, where rain-fed agriculture is vital for daily subsistence, but where
adaptive capacity is low. It is therefore crucial to increase the understanding of the actual climate
change dynamics on agricultural productivity. This study examined the effects of changes in climatic
variables such as rainfall and temperature on maize production in the Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipality,
Ghana. Regression, chi-square and trend analyses were used to establish the relationship
between climate variables (rainfall and temperature) and maize yield in the study area. This was supplemented
with participatory household interviews with 120 farmers to understand the perception
of farmers on rainfall and temperature patterns. The results from the study respondents and trend
analysis show that rainfall is shorter in terms of duration and less predictable, whilst temperature has
increased. The findings suggest that the general relationship between rainfall, temperature and maize
yield is such that maize yield increased with increasing rainfall of the right amount and distribution
pattern and decreased with increasing temperature. The study concludes that climate variability
and/or change is evident in the study area and its effect on maize yield is severe
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This article is published by mdpi.com and is also available at https://doi.org/10.3390/cli9100145
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https://doi.org/10.3390/cli9100145