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.