Climatic conditions and off-season crops in the municipality of Kozah 1 in northern Togo

Off-season farming activities in the urban commune of Kozah 1 depend on water availability and the varying effects of climatic conditions. The objective of this study is to analyze the climatic conditions under which off-season market gardening is carried out in the urban commune of Kozah 1 along the Kara River. Climatological data (temperature, precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, and relative humidity) collected from the Kara synoptic station over the period 1990–2024 were used to estimate available water resources. Similarly, socio-anthropological survey data collected from producers and direct field observations on market garden sites were used. The descriptive statistics method based on determining the SPI, hydroclimatic variation, climatic water balance and estimating the daily water requirements of market garden crops was applied. Results show that the evolution of climatic conditions, based on precipitation during the months of market gardening activities, reveals interannual rainfall variability characterized by a succession of weakly marked wet and dry years. The period from April to October accounts for 94.98% of annual rainfall, while the months from November to March known for off-season activities receive only about 5.01%. Meanwhile, maximum temperatures fluctuate between 29.4°C (May) and 36°C (January) and minimum temperatures vary from 19.1°C (July) to 23.3°C (December). Between November and June, relative humidity is low (38.94% to 65.32%), causing market garden beds to dry out and making plants vulnerable, resulting in wilting and leaf loss. This situation is exacerbated by insufficient irrigation due to lack of water in the Kara River bed and the drying up of surrounding natural water points. These findings were confirmed by 71% of respondents. Faced with this vulnerability, producers are developing adaptation options to limit the impacts.