Abstract

The frequency and severity of extreme climate events have a significant impact on agricultural systems, including coffee production, yet local exploration of these impacts and adaptation strategies has been lacking. This study was therefore conducted to assess the impact of climate variability on coffee yield in Gomma district. Meteorological data from 1988 to 2019 and time series data on coffee yield from 2007 to 2019 were collected from the Ethiopian Meteorological Institute and the district's Agriculture and Natural Resources offices, respectively. Data analysis was carried out using INSTAT+ v.3.36, SPSS version 25, and XLSTAT 2014. The mean annual rainfall of the study area during the study period was 1474.8 mm, with a standard deviation of 128.2 mm and a coefficient of variation (CV) of 9%. The results revealed that the annual rainfall amount showed a statistically non-significant increasing trend by a factor of 2.68 mm/year. The annual mean maximum and mean minimum temperatures in the study area were significantly increased by a factor of 0.40 °C and 0.20 °C per decade, respectively. Pearson correlation showed that maximum and minimum temperatures, the start of the rainy season, and the end of the season had a negative correlation with coffee yield, whereas length of growing period, the kiremt season, and the belg season rain had a positive correlation. The study concludes that climate variability and its effect on coffee production are evident in the study area. However, further studies on the impacts of climate variability on coffee production in agro-ecological zones are necessary to increase coffee production and productivity.