Estimating the Effect of Climatic Variables and Crop Area on Maize Yield in Ghana

Climate change tends to have negative effects on crop yield through its influence on crop production. Understanding the relationship between climatic variables, crop area and crop yield will facilitate development of appropriate policies to cope with climate change. This study therefore examines the effects of climatic variables and crop area on maize yield in Ghana based on regression model using historical data (1970-2010). Linear and Non-linear regression model specifications of the production function were employed in the study. The study found that growing season temperature trend is significantly increasing by 0.03oC yearly whereas growing season rainfall trend is insignificantly increasing by 0.25mm on yearly basis. It was also observed that rainfall is becoming increasingly unpredictable with poor distributions throughout the season. Results from the linear and non-linear regression models suggest that rainfall increase and crop area expansion have a positive and significant influence on mean maize yield. However, temperature increase will adversely affect mean maize yield. In conclusion, the study found that there exists not only a linear but also a non-linear relationship between climatic variables and maize yield.