Assessing Rainfall Variability Impacts on Maize Yield in Guinean Savanna Part of Nigeria, Using GIS Technique

The scientific evidence on rainfall variability with its momentous impacts on
crop yield is now stronger than ever. It is even more so on grains(Maize) that
serve as staple food in most parts of the world. Hence, the objectives of this
study are to assess spatio-temporal impacts of rainfall variability on maize yield
and map the impact with the aid of state-of-the-art Geographic Information
System (GIS). Major regions where maize is highly produced in Nigeria were
selected and rainfall data for 30 years (1970 to 2000) were used for the analysis.
Mapping was done by creating GIS Database for both climate and maize yield
data. Arc-View GIS Interpolation and other geospatial Analysis techniques were
later carried out to map the impacts of rainfall variability on maize yield. The
results of the analysis and the maps produced show that inter-annual variability
of rainfall brings about the differences in the rate of maize yield in Nigeria. There
is no doubt that farmers increasingly need detailed maps of this kind to plan
crops planting schemes and monitor rate of yield.