ISSN 2736-1586
African Journal of Geography and Regional Planning ISSN 3627-8945 Vol. 7 (4), pp. 001-006, April, 2020. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Effects of climatic variables on crop production in Patigi L. G. A., Kwara State, Nigeria
A. M. Tunde1*, B. A. Usman1 and V. O. Olawepo2
1Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.
2Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Kwara State Agricultural Development Project, Kwara State, Nigeria.
Accepted 21 September, 2019
Abstract
Agricultural production in Nigeria like other developing countries is highly vulnerable to climate variability. This study used regression and correlation analyses to examine the impacts of temperature, relative humidity, rainfall and number of rainy days on food production in the Patigi Local Government Area (LGA) of Kwara State of Nigeria. The results revealed that maize production correlated highly with rainfall amount (0.73). The other variables namely, relative humidity, number of rainy days, maximum and minimum temperature correlated with the crops but very weak. This means climatic variables examined have impact to a certain limit on the selected crop yield in the study area. The regression analysis revealed that 76, 79, 43, 82, 50 and 35% of the variance in rice, millet, sorghum, groundnut, maize and sweet potato can, respectively be explained by the climatic variables examined. The implication of the findings for sustainable agricultural development is discussed in the concluding part.
Key words: Climate change, crop, agriculture, yield, agricultural zones.