Water Requirements for Corn Yields in the Northern Regions of Cameroon Using AquaCrop Model

Aims: This study is based on the use of the FAO AquaCrop model to determine the amount of water needed to improve corn yields in Northern Cameroon.

Study Design: The regions of Garoua (9˚18'N - 13˚24' E), Kaélé (10˚05'44"N - 14˚26'37"E) and Maroua (10˚35'N - 14˚19’E) were considered for this purpose. This region corresponds to a semi-arid zone in the Northern Cameroon in Central Africa.

Place and Duration of Study: The climate data used in this work were collected in the meteorological stations of Garoua, Maroua and Kaélé from 1979 to 2004 during the AMMA (African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis) project. The phenology data of maize crops were obtained from the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IARD) which is the national institute.

Methodology: The software used here is AquaCrop, developed by a group of experts at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for prediction of agricultural production under conditions of water limitation. Two simulations were carried out to determine the impact of climate change on agricultural yields and to determine the amount of water needed to mitigate this impact. The first consists of estimating yields in the dry and rainy seasons. The second consists of the estimation of the yields that are in the dry season or in the rainy season by using the irrigation. Hence, we have estimated the quantities of water needed for irrigation for each season over the region.

Results: The yields of the maize crop are most important during the rainy season and are close to 2.32 ton/ha. If irrigation is done during this season a rate of 72.15 mm, these yields are improved to 2.56 ton/ha. In the dry season, yields are close to 0.15 ton/ha. When irrigation is done with an average rate of 427.03 mm, yields are considerably improved and are relatively close to those obtained in the rainy season (2.37 ton/ha).

Conclusion: This study allows farmers to cultivate in all seasons to preserve and improve food security in the future years.