RAINFALL AND TEMPERATURE CORRELATION WITH CROP YIELD: THE CASE OF ASUNAFO FOREST, GHANA

Abstract

The paper tested the null hypothesis that there is no statistically significant correlation between rainfall and crop yield as well as between temperature and crop yield using climate and crop statistics for 14 years (1995 – 2008). The analyses involved bivariate correlation and linear regression. Annual rainfall range was 168.8 mm – 1,737.9 mm and temperature was 22.7 oC – 32.5 oC. In 83% of all rainfall cases the null hypothesis was retained and rainfall accounted for 0.000% – 18.9% variability in crop yield as against rejection of 17% in which rainfall explained about 40.9% crop yield variability. Temperature recorded 67% acceptance of the null hypothesis in which temperature explained 4.2% – 10.7% crop yield variation in contrast to 33% rejection where 35.4% - 47.4% crop yield variability was due to temperature. Largely, other factors hold more explanation to the variation in crop yield.