The impact of climate change on maize yields and its variability in Telangana, India: A panel approach study

The present study explores the effect of climate change on maize yields and its variance in Telangana utilizing Just-Pope production function, spanning the period 1956-2015. The three-step feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) method is employed to estimate the Just and Pope production function. The empirical results of the work reveal that the average minimum temperature has a significant unfavorable effect on maize yield in Telangana. Maximum temperature and actual rainfall are positively related with maize yield; however, the maximum temperature is not statistically significant. Furthermore, rainfall and minimum temperature are risk-shrinking factors, but the maximum temperature is a risk-enhancing factor for maize yields during the study period. The study results have key implications for developing suitable local level adaptation policies in Telangana.