Enhancing Groundnut Production Under Climate Change in North Bank Region (The Gambia)

Abstract

Rising temperatures and erratic rainfall have had a significant impact on food production in Africa including The Gambia. To enhance groundnut production, this thesis aims to examine the impact of temperature and rainfall on groundnut productivity in the North Bank Region in The Gambia. Thus, the potential impacts of climate change on groundnut production were assessed by compar ing the baseline (1971-2000) with RCP 4.5 (2020-2039) in the near future and RCP 8.5 (2060 2079) mid-term future using the Cropwat model. The findings showed that the linear regression analysis between temperature and rainfall against groundnut yields for the period of 1990-2020 was positive and negative respectively, indicating that the decline in groundnut yield is not rainfall whilst temperature rise has a minimal influence on the yield. In addition, the simulated result for the baseline (1971-2000) in the Cropwat model showed that the Crop Water Requirement (CWR) of groundnut was met because the rain efficiency was 87.6%. While Irrigation Water Requirement (IWR) was minimal (19.1mm) which was only required at the end of the maturity period. Under RCP 4.5 (2020-2039) in the near future, CWR of groundnut will not be met due to a decrease in the rain efficiency to 66.0%, an additional irrigation supplement of 301.2mm will be required throughout the growth stages for optimal groundnut growth. Under RCP 8.5 (2060-2079) in the mid-term future, the CWR of the groundnut will not be met due to a reduction in rainfall, with irrigation necessary throughout the growing season. The rainfall efficiency will be 60.5% and an additional IWR of 405mm will be needed for optimal growth. Furthermore, a farmers' perception survey was conducted on the challenges facing groundnut production due to climatic and non climatic factors, which show that farmers are facing three major challenges namely storage prob lems, pest infestations, and soil fertility decline. Based on the survey, 80% of the respondents, reported that they have observed a decline in rainfall and an increase in temperature. Thus, to foster groundnut resilience to climate change some adaptation measures such as irrigation planning, stor age facilities establishment, pest control, and soil fertility are needed, which can be implemented by national stakeholders and policymakers in The Gambia