INVESTIGATING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RAINFALL AND MAIZE CROP PRODUCTION IN MUBANGWE

Most countries in South-Eastern Africa are described by large variability in rainfall in addition to the occurrence of prolonged and severe drought, starvation, and building destruction. The scientific evidence on rainfall variability with its significant impacts on crop yield is stronger than ever (FAO, 2015). The research analyzed the relationship of rainfall variability and Maize crop production in Mubangwe- Mzimba district, Malawi for the period 2015-2020. Maize serves as a staple food in Malawi including the Mzimba district. The specific objectives of this study were; to identify rainfall trends for Mubangwe, to analyze the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index for Mubangwe using Landsat 8 imagery, and to examine the impacts of rainfall on Maize crop production. The climatic parameters used include annual rainfall for the growing season that is from Nov to April. The descriptive method was used relying on secondary data. Rainfall data for the past 5 years (2015-2020) was collected from the department of climate change and meteorological service of Malawi (Blantyre). Maize crop data were collected from the Agricultural office for the same period. The rainfall data collected were analyzed using Microsoft Office Excel 2010, SPSS, and R studio (version 3.60). Correlation and regression analysis were used on the data sets. The study found out that rainfall varies (678.3mm-1372.0mm) from one year to other and from place to place over a while. The results show that there is a strong significant between rainfall and Maize crop production where the value of r = 0.92975, at p = 0.02211 for maize crop yield. Therefore, this research concluded that geographical information systems are sufficient tools that should be explored further for a realistic assessment of the effects on the climate of farming activities.

Most countries in South-Eastern Africa are described by large variability in rainfall in addition to the occurrence of prolonged and severe drought, starvation, and building destruction. The specific objectives of this study were; to identify rainfall trends for Mubangwe, to analyze the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index for Mubangwe using Landsat 8 imagery, and to examine the impacts of rainfall on Maize crop production. The results show that there is a strong significant between rainfall and Maize crop production where the value of r = 0.92975, at p = 0.02211 for maize crop yield. Therefore, this research concluded that geographical information systems are sufficient tools that should be explored further for a realistic assessment of the effects on the climate of farming activities.

Malawi lies in south-eastern Africa, extending between 9 ̊21 ̊51 ̊S and 17 ̊34 ̊S, and 32 ̊41 ̊53 ̊E and 35 ̊53 ̊11 ̊E. It shares borders with Tanzania to the north, and Zambia to the West, and Mozambique to the south and east. The total geographical area is about 11.8Mha, it has approximately 7.2 Mha of agricultural land including plantations and 28 administrative districts. It has an estimated population of 18 million (Anhuf, 2006). The economy of Malawi is predominantly agro-based with over 80% of the population depending on agriculture (World Bank, 1995).
Malawi experiences a subtropical climate with relatively predictable weather. It has three growing seasons, hot wet (>95% rainfall) from December to April; cold dry season from May to August, and hot dry season from September to November. Rainfall is strongly seasonal and varies from 725 mm to 2500 mm, and is mostly derived from the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), the Zaire Air Boundary (Congo Air Mass), and Tropical Cyclones as they veer away from the east to the west path in the Mozambique Channel (Kamanga,2009).
The study area is situated in the Mzimba district, the northern part of Malawi. The geographical coordinates in degree minutes' seconds (WGS84) show that the area is located at -11025' 0'' south and 33049'13.3'' East with an elevation of 1225 meters. Mubangwe is in Tradition Authority Mtwalo. Mubangwe is in Mzimba north just 25kilometers from Ekwendeni Township as you take the M1 road from Mzuzu. In Mubangwe most people depend on agriculture for their daily life and the crop that they do cultivate are; Maize, Tobacco, and groundnuts.

Traditional authority: TA Mtwalo

District: Mzimba

Coordinates: -11.33455, 33.83515