Samoa's 102 year meteorological record and a preliminary study on agricultural product and ENSO variability

Abstract

This paper seeks to find a relationship between the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability and crop production. Precipitation and mean temperature were examined first to establish an ENSO relationship while primary sector macroeconomic and crops data were analyzed to note any significant variations in output linked to ENSO impacts of significant occurrence. Institutional strengthening and improved access to markets, both local and regional, and sector development programmes however have made this assessment difficult. Subsistence agriculture (and fisheries), said to the backbone and economic mainstay of Samoa’s primary sector, ideally the best source of ENSO impacts unfortunately remains the data poor sector.