Climate change and Rice yield in Cameroon

Abstract

Rice is one of the most consumed cereals in Cameroon, the production of which remains affected by several factors, including excessive temperatures and the irregular increase in rainfall. This study used the VAR model to explore the reciprocal influence of climate change with rice yield via the evolution of rainfall and temperature as well as the intensity of CO2 emissions per rice product in the northern zone of the Cameroon. The data used comes from FAOSTAT and the “World Bank Group Climate Change Knowledge Portal over the period between 1975 and 2021. The following results were obtained. i) The constant increase in rainfall during the rainy season reduces the yield of rice and that of temperature improves the yield of rice. ii) the CO2 emission intensity per unit of rice production has a negative effect on its yield. iii) This CO2 emission reduces the rainfall pattern and stimulates the rise in temperatures and therefore reinforces climate change. We therefore recommend that rice farmers be attentive to the reciprocal effects of climate change and rice cultivation and to use new techniques allowing the reduction of CO2 emission intensity by using more organic fertilizers than chemical ones.