Publication Highlight: Spatiotemporal monsoon characteristics and maize yields in West Africa
The dominance of rainfed agriculture in West Africa for drought-susceptible staple crops such as maize makes West African crop production vulnerable to factors such as climate change and precipitation variability. The primary source of water for agriculture in the West Africa maize belt is precipitation from the West African Monsoon, which is characterized by a high degree of spatial and temporal variability.
In an article recently published in Environmental Research Communications, Dr. Sarah Fletcher and her coauthors explore the relationship between crop yields using country-level crop yield data and new precipitation metrics that capture the spatial and temporal variability of the West African Monsoon to a greater resolution than previous spatially and temporally averaged precipitation metrics. Their work highlights the importance of considering both spatial and temporal variability in precipitation when evaluating impacts on crop yields and provides a possible explanation for the weak connections between precipitation variability and crop yields in West Africa suggested by previous studies.
By supporting a more detailed understanding of the relationship between West African Monsoon characteristics and maize yields, their work can help inform the development of climate adaptation strategies that ensure local food security.