The study assessed the effects of climate variability on crop production in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government of Rivers state of Nigeria. Both primary and secondary data were used for the analysis. The primary data were collected with the aid of focused group discussion field survey which covered six communities selected at random from the local government in 2020, with 30 farming households head selected from each community, totalling 180 farmers. The secondary data such as monthly rainfall, minimum and maximum temperature span the periods 1986 - 2020 and were sourced from Nigeria Meteorological Agency, while crop yield like cassava and yam were collected from Agricultural Development Programme Office Rivers State for the periods 1999 to 2020. The primary data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics techniques, while multiple regression techniques were employed in estimating the secondary data. The outcome of the study revealed that the mean annual rainfall of the area was 2235.9 mm, while the average temperature was 27.1°C. Annual maximum and minimum temperature were 31.4°C and 22.7°C respectively. The evidence shows that the rainfall and temperature over the duration decreases and increases respectively, and the shift in rainfall pattern that affected crop minimum and maximum temperatures were negatively correlated with crop production. Further inquiries also revealed that about 43.3 % and 68.5 % variation in cassava and yam  respectively, were cuased  jointly  due to  variation in monthly and annual rainfall, while about 4.5 % and 7.0 % variation in cassava and yam production respectively can be explained by variation in temperature. Hence, crop production required small amount and evenly distributed rainfall at early stage of its growth.

Keyword: Climate Variability, Crop Production, Communities, Nigeria

Gel Classification : C68, Q54, Q10