ENSO Episodes and its Impacts on Seasonal Rainfall Characteristics with Reference to Crop Production in Kenya

Abstract

Weather and climate variability is the major factor affecting inter-annual variability of crop production and yield in all environments. Rainfall is among the most important elements affecting agriculture as soil water availability is one of the limiting resources for crop growth and development. El Nifio-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phases play an important role in the climate variability in Kenya and better understanding of the teleconnections between the ocean and atmospheric conditions is of great importance.