An analysis of the impacts of rainfall and rainfall variability on cash and food crop production in the Gambia

Journal Article

• Magazine \ Newspaper: Global Journal of Quantitative Science
• Issue Number: 3
• Volume Number: 1
• Pages: 17-23.

Publication Abstract

 

This paper employs panel data econometrics method to analyze the impacts of climate change on cash and food crop production in the Gambia. It finds that land size and rainfall ultimately determine changes in the crop production; the crop production does not respond to changes in its own price changes, and there is no evidence to support the claim that farmers substitute cash crop cultivation for the food crop cultivation to reap high earnings from cash crop price increases. In fact, the data present evidence that farmers consider the production of the two crops as complements. Groundnut, rice, and maize productions are found to respond positively to new variety introduction, whereas cotton and sorghum productions have fallen in response to new variety innovations