The reporting period covers the onset of the main rainy season throughout the south of the MPZ and the end of the rainy season in the northern Sahelian areas. The main cropping activities during this period included the sowing of main cereals (maize, sorghum, millet, and rice) under both rainfed and irrigated conditions. In addition, tuber crops (yam and cassava) were also being harvested. In the southern parts of the region with bimodal rainfall, the first maize crop was harvested by October while cassava was still growing. The harvest of the main maize crop was completed in August in the south, while it was ongoing in the rest of the MPZ for other cereal crops (rice, millet and sorghum). The cumulative rainfall in the MPZ was below average in most areas leading to below normal vegetation conditions. 

Climatic indicators for the MPZ show a below-average rainfall of 643 mm (-33%) with the highest rainfall of over 1000 mm recorded in Equatorial Guinea (1454 mm, +10%), Sierra Leone (1414 mm, -19%) and Liberia (1043 mm, -16%). The average temperature for the MPZ was recorded as 25.8°C (+1°C) with the coastal areas experiencing around 0.5ºC  temperature increase and the central areas of the region experiencing increases of over 1.5ºC as compared to the 15YA. The northern parts of Nigeria experienced negative temperature departures, affecting 8.5% of the region. The average potential solar radiation of the region was 1149 MJ/m²(+6%) indicating positive increase over the 15YA. However, the resulting potential biomass production was below average (-17%), though more than 1000 gDM/m² in most of areas of the region except for the coastal areas of the region were estimated. The cropped arable land fraction (CALF) was above 94% (+0%) in most areas of the region except for extreme northern parts of Nigeria which may be attributed to conflicts. The maximum VCI (VCIx) map shows an average value of 0.94 covering most of the region indicating favorable conditions for crop growth, and the cropping intensity was 126% (-6%), indicating MPZ had a mixture of single and double-cropping during the reporting period. Moderate to severe drought was experienced throughout the region as also reflected in the rainfall deficits.  All in all, conditions were below average due to a rainfall deficit. 

Figure A: Spatial distribution of rainfall profiles

Figure B: Spatial distribution of temperature profiles

Figure C: Cropped and uncropped arable land

Figure D: Potential biomass departure from 5YA

Figure E: Maximum VCI

Figure F: VHI Minimum