The effect of rainfall and temperature variations on honey production in Nakasongola.

Abstract

Honey production is a very important seasonal activity for developing countries like Uganda especially for low income groups to alleviate them from poverty. The study’s main objective was to determine the relationship between rainfall and temperature with honey production over Nakasongola. The study utilized secondary data for rainfall and temperature obtained from CHIRPS and JRA-55 respectively for a period of 40 years. Secondary data for honey production was also obtained from Nakasongola Beekeepers’ Association for a period of 2008- 2020. Annual mean temperature, mean annual maximum temperature and mean annual minimum temperature and rainfall series were analysed for fluctuation using Standardized Anomaly Index time series and trend analysis on temperature and rainfall Standardized Anomaly Index was performed using the Mann-Kendall test. Linear regression analysis was used to establish the relationship between temperature and rainfall with honey production. The study found out that all the stations (p-value < alpha 0.05) had significant trends in Tmin. Nakasongola, Lwampanga, Kalongo and Lwabiyata had significant trends in Tmax. Nakitoma and Nabiswera Lwabiyata had insignificant trends in Tmax. The other stations had significant trends in Tmean except for Kalongo station. It was also found that Nakasongola, Lwampanga and Kalongo (p-value < alpha 0.05) had significant trends in Rainfall while Nakitoma, Nabiswera and Lwabiyata had insignificant trends in Rainfall. According to the results of the study, it was established that there was a positive relationship between honey production and Tmean, Tmax, Tmin and rainfall during the study period but was insignificant because (p > 0.05), this therefore lead to the partial rejection of the null hypothesis and that there was a relationship between rainfall and temperature variations with honey production in Nakasongola. Trends of honey production over the period of 2008-2020 showed that honey production increased from 2008-2014, dropped in 2015, remained constant from 2016-2019 and increased in 2020.