This study assessed the factors that affects the amount of rainfall in Ghana. Knowing the factors that influence the amount of rainfall in a given geographical area is very important for planning and decision-making purposes. In this study, temperature, relative humidity, locality and the seasons that these factors occur were considered in determining the amount of rainfall received on land. Multilevel and panel data analysis techniques were used to analyze the data gathered from 2001-2015. The study reveals that temperature has effect on rainfall whiles relative humidity has no significant effect on the amount of rainfall experienced in the selected areas used for the study. The result shows that rainfall is maximized when temperature and relative humidity are at high levels and few rainfalls is expected when both parameters are at low levels. The study also highlighted on the importance of the study variables on food production in Ghana.

The bacteriological characteristics of rainwater harvested from a typical rooftop were progressively studied for a period of nine (9) months. The study area, Oyoko, is a rural community considered as a typical farming area and located about 30 km from Kumasi, the capital city of Ashanti Region of Ghana. The collected rainwater samples were analyzed for Escherichia coli (E. coli) and salmonella. The entire E. coli counts varied from 0-60 CFU/100 ml and were absent on 39 observations out of total of 84 observations (replicate samples), representing 46.4%. Whiles the entire salmonella counts ranged from 0-78 CFU/100ml and only 10 observations out of the 84 were absent, which represents 11.9%. Both E. coli and salmonella showed higher concentration during early stages of continuous rainfall but, progressively reduced during later part of rainfall. The main cause of this phenomenon can be attributed to the deposition and accumulation of pollutant materials on the rooftop and catchment areas typically during the dry seasons as a result of wind-blown dirt particles and other environmental pollutants. The high bacteriological constituents in the early-stage harvested rainwater consequently have some proven significant health implications from their direct consumption. It is therefore imperative for the community to know the best time interval to harvest their rainwater as rainfall progresses, and also know any health implications associated with the harvested rainwater that goes into their storage tanks for consumption through progressive monitoring of the quality.