Sensitivity of Maize Yield in Smallholder Systems to Climate Scenarios in Semi-Arid Regions of West Africa: Accounting for Variability in Farm Management Practices
Climate change is estimated to exacerbate existing challenges faced by smallholder farmers in Sub-Sahara Africa. However, limited studies quantify the extent of variation in climate change impact under these systems at the local scale. The Decision Support System for Agro-technological Transfer (DSS...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2019-10-01
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| Series: | Agronomy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/9/10/639 |
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| author | Bright S. Freduah Dilys S. MacCarthy Myriam Adam Mouhamed Ly Alex C. Ruane Eric C. Timpong-Jones Pierre S. Traore Kenneth J. Boote Cheryl Porter Samuel G. K. Adiku |
| author_facet | Bright S. Freduah Dilys S. MacCarthy Myriam Adam Mouhamed Ly Alex C. Ruane Eric C. Timpong-Jones Pierre S. Traore Kenneth J. Boote Cheryl Porter Samuel G. K. Adiku |
| author_sort | Bright S. Freduah |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Climate change is estimated to exacerbate existing challenges faced by smallholder farmers in Sub-Sahara Africa. However, limited studies quantify the extent of variation in climate change impact under these systems at the local scale. The Decision Support System for Agro-technological Transfer (DSSAT) was used to quantify variation in climate change impacts on maize yield under current agricultural practices in semi-arid regions of Senegal (Nioro du Rip) and Ghana (Navrongo and Tamale). Multi-benchmark climate models (Mid-Century, 2040–2069 for two Representative Concentration Pathways, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5), and multiple soil and management information from agronomic surveys were used as input for DSSAT. The average impact of climate scenarios on grain yield among farms ranged between −9% and −39% across sites. Substantial variation in climate response exists across farms in the same farming zone with relative standard deviations from 8% to 117% at Nioro du Rip, 13% to 64% in Navrongo and 9% to 37% in Tamale across climate models. Variations in fertilizer application, planting dates and soil types explained the variation in the impact among farms. This study provides insight into the complexities of the impact of climate scenarios on maize yield and the need for better representation of heterogeneous farming systems for optimized outcomes in adaptation and resilience planning in smallholder systems. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T13:03:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-420765f76ede4f5896dcfa541b6c7496 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4395 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T13:03:37Z |
| publishDate | 2019-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agronomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-420765f76ede4f5896dcfa541b6c74962022-12-21T19:39:51ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952019-10-0191063910.3390/agronomy9100639agronomy9100639Sensitivity of Maize Yield in Smallholder Systems to Climate Scenarios in Semi-Arid Regions of West Africa: Accounting for Variability in Farm Management PracticesBright S. Freduah0Dilys S. MacCarthy1Myriam Adam2Mouhamed Ly3Alex C. Ruane4Eric C. Timpong-Jones5Pierre S. Traore6Kenneth J. Boote7Cheryl Porter8Samuel G. K. Adiku9Soil and Irrigation Research Centre, School of Agriculture, College of Basic and Applied Science (CBAS), University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG 68, Accra, GhanaSoil and Irrigation Research Centre, School of Agriculture, College of Basic and Applied Science (CBAS), University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG 68, Accra, GhanaCIRAD, UMR AGAP, Bobo-Dioulasso 01, Burkina FasoCentre Regional AGRHYMET, 425 Boulevard de l’Université, BP 11011 Niamey, NigerGoddard Institute for Space Studies, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2880 Broadway, New York, NY 10025, USALivestock and Poultry Research Centre, School of Agriculture, CBAS, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG 68, Accra, GhanaInternational Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics (ICRISAT), BP 320 Bamako, MaliDepartment of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida, Frazier Rogers Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USADepartment of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida, Frazier Rogers Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USADepartment of Soil Science, School of Agriculture, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG 245 Accra, GhanaClimate change is estimated to exacerbate existing challenges faced by smallholder farmers in Sub-Sahara Africa. However, limited studies quantify the extent of variation in climate change impact under these systems at the local scale. The Decision Support System for Agro-technological Transfer (DSSAT) was used to quantify variation in climate change impacts on maize yield under current agricultural practices in semi-arid regions of Senegal (Nioro du Rip) and Ghana (Navrongo and Tamale). Multi-benchmark climate models (Mid-Century, 2040–2069 for two Representative Concentration Pathways, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5), and multiple soil and management information from agronomic surveys were used as input for DSSAT. The average impact of climate scenarios on grain yield among farms ranged between −9% and −39% across sites. Substantial variation in climate response exists across farms in the same farming zone with relative standard deviations from 8% to 117% at Nioro du Rip, 13% to 64% in Navrongo and 9% to 37% in Tamale across climate models. Variations in fertilizer application, planting dates and soil types explained the variation in the impact among farms. This study provides insight into the complexities of the impact of climate scenarios on maize yield and the need for better representation of heterogeneous farming systems for optimized outcomes in adaptation and resilience planning in smallholder systems.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/9/10/639cerealsgeneral circulation modelsclimate changedssatagricultureagmip |
| spellingShingle | Bright S. Freduah Dilys S. MacCarthy Myriam Adam Mouhamed Ly Alex C. Ruane Eric C. Timpong-Jones Pierre S. Traore Kenneth J. Boote Cheryl Porter Samuel G. K. Adiku Sensitivity of Maize Yield in Smallholder Systems to Climate Scenarios in Semi-Arid Regions of West Africa: Accounting for Variability in Farm Management Practices Agronomy cereals general circulation models climate change dssat agriculture agmip |
| title | Sensitivity of Maize Yield in Smallholder Systems to Climate Scenarios in Semi-Arid Regions of West Africa: Accounting for Variability in Farm Management Practices |
| title_full | Sensitivity of Maize Yield in Smallholder Systems to Climate Scenarios in Semi-Arid Regions of West Africa: Accounting for Variability in Farm Management Practices |
| title_fullStr | Sensitivity of Maize Yield in Smallholder Systems to Climate Scenarios in Semi-Arid Regions of West Africa: Accounting for Variability in Farm Management Practices |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sensitivity of Maize Yield in Smallholder Systems to Climate Scenarios in Semi-Arid Regions of West Africa: Accounting for Variability in Farm Management Practices |
| title_short | Sensitivity of Maize Yield in Smallholder Systems to Climate Scenarios in Semi-Arid Regions of West Africa: Accounting for Variability in Farm Management Practices |
| title_sort | sensitivity of maize yield in smallholder systems to climate scenarios in semi arid regions of west africa accounting for variability in farm management practices |
| topic | cereals general circulation models climate change dssat agriculture agmip |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/9/10/639 |
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