Effect of Climate Variability on Yams (<i>Dioscorea spp</i>.) Production in Central and Northern Benin

• 作者: Aliou Saïdou Daouda Orou Bello Fiacre Hermann Adifon Gilbert Atindogbé Ibouraïma Yabi Ibouraïman Balogoun Joseph Dossou Léonard Ahoton
• 来源期刊: 美国气候变化期刊(英文)
• 学科: 经济
• 关键词: YAM Climate Variability Yield Food Security BENIN
• 年，卷（期）: 2020,（4）
• 页码范围: 423-440
• 页数: 18页
• 分类号: F42

摘要

Climate change poses an important constraint to agricultural sector and food security in tropical African countries dominated by rain-fed agriculture. This research focuses on the effects of climate variability on yam production in central and northern Benin. Daily climate data such as temperatures, precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, relative humidity and insolation from 1981 to 2016 were collected at the direction of METEO-Benin. A survey was then conducted with 351 producers to collect their perceptions of the effect of climate variability on the yams production. Descriptive statistics, principal component analysis (PCA) followed by trend analyses, Lamb index calculations and the agro-climatic stress index were carried out. The distribution of rain during the yam cycle (91.5% of those surveyed), the ambient temperature (84.9%), insolation (83.5%), the amount of rainwater that fell during the rainy season (82.2%) and the harmattan (53.3%) are perceived by sociolinguistic groups as climatic factors affecting the growth, the tuberization and yield of yams according to the producers. The results indicate an upward trend in temperature over the period 2001 to 2016 in the transition zone (28.4<span style="white-space:nowrap;">°</span>C) and in the Northeast (27.76<span style="white-space:nowrap;">°</span>C) and over the period from 2001 to 2011 in the North-West of Benin (27.71<span style="white-space:nowrap;">°</span>C), where the average annual temperature during these periods is higher than normal (27.82<span style="white-space:nowrap;">°</span>C in the center, 27.44<span style="white-space:nowrap;">°</span>C in the Northeast and 27.42<span style="white-space:nowrap;">°</span>C to the northwest). This research also shows an instability of the rains with a regular decrease in the rainfall in the Centre and the North-East of the country. The agro-climatic stress index (ISA) and above all the annual rainfall constitute the main climatic factors which determine the yield of yam in the various growing a