Effects of 5G Network and Climatic Fluctuations on Sorghum Yield in Nigeria

Abstract

In Nigeria, sorghum stands as a staple crop with significant importance for food security and the economy. This study investigates the effects of climatic fluctuations, particularly rainfall variability and temperature changes, on the yield of sorghum across different agro-ecological zones in Nigeria. Additionally, it examines the influence of 5G network technology on agricultural practices and data-driven decision-making processes related to sorghum cultivation. Utilizing a combination of historical climate data, sorghum yield records, and statistical models, we analyze the correlation between climatic factors, including 5G network accessibility, and crop output over the past three decades. Our findings indicate that sorghum yields are highly sensitive to deviations in seasonal rainfall patterns and temperature anomalies. In years of below-average rainfall, sorghum yields declined substantially, highlighting the crop's dependency on water availability. Temperature increases were found to have a dual effect; moderate increases coincided with yield gains, likely due to extended growing seasons, while extreme heat events correlated with yield reductions, likely due to heat stress on the plants. The study also evaluates adaptive farming practices employed by local farmers in response to climatic stresses, including crop variety selection, irrigation use, and planting date adjustments. Despite these efforts, the results suggest that current adaptation strategies may be insufficient against the setting of projected change in climate scenarios. Policy implications were discussed, emphasizing need for robust agricultural policies that support sustainable farming practices, improved water management systems, and the development of climate-resilient sorghum varieties. Moreover, the study highlights the role of 5G network technology in enhancing agricultural resilience. Access to real-time weather data, market information, and expert advice through 5G networks can empower farmers to adopt wise choices, distribute resources as efficiently as possible, and prevent the impacts of climatic fluctuations on sorghum production. The study underlines the urgency for concerted action in an effort to lessen the negative consequences of climatic fluctuations on agriculture in Nigeria, with a focus on safeguarding the sorghum supply chain and, by extension, food security and rural livelihoods. The current investigation examined how variations in rainfall affected the production of sorghum in Kano State, Nigeria. Among the goals are: Analyze how rainfall variability affects sorghum output and note the strategies farmers use to increase sorghum yield. Descriptive statistics and focus group discussions with farmers are part of the study's methodology. The outcomes resulted in FGD indicating a rise in the amount of precipitation leads to a decrease in sorghum output in the research region. Pearson movement correlations analysis was performed to calculate the connection between the cultivation of sorghum and rainfall variability. Additionally, the correlation's result showed that the annual rainfall and sorghum yield had an unfavorable, negligible association, with a correlation coefficient of -0.3713 and an estimated likelihood of 0.255 at the 7% level.