Maps: Southern African Countries (Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia)
5. Best period for crop growth
Territorial scope: group of countries
Themes: 2, 3, 4
Dataset description
The map set depicts the spatial distribution of the optimal growing period for nine crops—beans, cotton, groundnut, maize, millet, rice, sorghum, soybean, and tobacco—based on precipitation and temperature regimes (see Map sets SAC03 and SAC04).
These periods are visualized for the baseline period (1960–1990) and for 2050 under the AR5 RCP8.5 emissions scenario, using the averaged outputs of four GCMs: BCC_CSM1.1, BNU_ESM, CCCMA_CANESM2, and CESM1-BGC.
Cassava and sweet potato are excluded from this map set because their climatic suitability is primarily determined by total annual rainfall. In contrast, the other crops exhibit some flexibility in aligning their growth cycles with the available climatic growing period.
A word of caution: the “best period for crop growth” is assumed to be the one that maximize the climatic suitability score. However, that in itself does not necessarily guarantee successful cultivation. Under suboptimal climatic conditions, fitting a crop’s growth cycle within the climatic growing period may not ensure viability. It is therefore essential to cross-check specific locations with the climatic suitability scores provided in Map Sets SAC06 and SAC07.
This map set is included in Publication 115b (2018). For methodological details and further information, including interpretations of the various maps, is referred to the publication.
Best crop growing period maps
Best period for growing beans
SAC05.01. Best period for growing beans, baseline period 1960-1990
SAC05.02. Best period for growing beans, 2050 GCM BCC-CSM 1.1 (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.03. Best period for growing beans, 2050 GCM BNU-ESM (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.04. Best period for growing beans, 2050 GCM CCCMA-CANESM2 (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.05. Best period for growing beans, 2050 GCM CESM1-BGC (emission scenario RCP8.5)
Best period for growing cotton
SAC05.11. Best period for growing cotton, baseline period 1960-1990
SAC05.12. Best period for growing cotton, 2050 GCM BCC-CSM 1.1 (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.13. Best period for growing cotton, 2050 GCM BNU-ESM (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.14. Best period for growing cotton, 2050 GCM CCCMA-CANESM2 (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.15. Best period for growing cotton, 2050 GCM CESM1-BGC (emission scenario RCP8.5)
Best period for growing groundnut
SAC05.16. Best period for growing groundnut, baseline period 1960-1990
SAC05.17. Best period for growing groundnut, 2050 GCM BCC-CSM 1.1 (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.18. Best period for growing groundnut, 2050 GCM BNU-ESM (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.19. Best period for growing groundnut, 2050 GCM CCCMA-CANESM2 (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.20. Best period for growing groundnut, 2050 GCM CESM1-BGC (emission scenario RCP8.5)
Best period for growing maize
SAC05.21. Best period for growing maize, baseline period 1960-1990
SAC05.22. Best period for growing maize, 2050 GCM BCC-CSM 1.1 (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.23. Best period for growing maize, 2050 GCM BNU-ESM (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.24. Best period for growing maize, 2050 GCM CCCMA-CANESM2 (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.25. Best period for growing maize, 2050 GCM CESM1-BGC (emission scenario RCP8.5)
Best period for growing millet
SAC05.26. Best period for growing millet, baseline period 1960-1990
SAC05.27. Best period for growing millet, 2050 GCM BCC-CSM 1.1 (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.28. Best period for growing millet, 2050 GCM BNU-ESM (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.29. Best period for growing millet, 2050 GCM CCCMA-CANESM2 (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.30. Best period for growing millet, 2050 GCM CESM1-BGC (emission scenario RCP8.5)
Best period for growing rice
SAC05.31. Best period for growing rice, baseline period 1960-1990
SAC05.32. Best period for growing rice, 2050 GCM BCC-CSM 1.1 (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.33. Best period for growing rice, 2050 GCM BNU-ESM (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.34. Best period for growing rice, 2050 GCM CCCMA-CANESM2 (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.35. Best period for growing rice, 2050 GCM CESM1-BGC (emission scenario RCP8.5)
Best period for growing sorghum
SAC05.36. Best period for growing sorghum, baseline period 1960-1990
SAC05.37. Best period for growing sorghum, 2050 GCM BCC-CSM 1.1 (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.38. Best period for growing sorghum, 2050 GCM BNU-ESM (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.39. Best period for growing sorghum, 2050 GCM CCCMA-CANESM2 (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.40. Best period for growing sorghum, 2050 GCM CESM1-BGC (emission scenario RCP8.5)
Best period for growing soybean
SAC05.41. Best period for growing soybean, baseline period 1960-1990
SAC05.42. Best period for growing soybean, 2050 GCM BCC-CSM 1.1 (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.43. Best period for growing soybean, 2050 GCM BNU-ESM (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.44. Best period for growing soybean, 2050 GCM CCCMA-CANESM2 (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.45. Best period for growing soybean, 2050 GCM CESM1-BGC (emission scenario RCP8.5)
Best period for growing tobacco
SAC05.51. Best period for growing tobacco, baseline period 1960-1990
SAC05.52. Best period for growing tobacco, 2050 GCM BCC-CSM 1.1 (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.53. Best period for growing tobacco, 2050 GCM BNU-ESM (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.54. Best period for growing tobacco, 2050 GCM CCCMA-CANESM2 (emission scenario RCP8.5)
SAC05.55. Best period for growing tobacco, 2050 GCM CESM1-BGC (emission scenario RCP8.5)
* Reference: Sys, C., Van Ranst, E., Debaveye, J. and Beernaert,F. 1993. Land evaluation. Part III. Crop Requirements. Agricultural Publications No. 7, General Administration for Development Cooperation, Brussels, Belgium,199 pp.
SAC05