© 2020 Discovery Publication. All Rights Reserved. www.discoveryjournals.org OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE Page1 ANALYSIS Assessment of drought occurrences and its implications on agriculture in Niger State, Nigeria Jude Nwafor Eze  , Philip Audu Ibrahim, Saliu Akinlabi Tiamiyu, Muhammed Alfa National Cereals Research Institute, Badeggi P.M.B 8, Bida, Niger State, Nigeria.  Corresponding author: National Cereals Research Institute, Badeggi P.M.B 8, Bida, Niger State, Nigeria Email: jn.eze@ncribadeggi.org.ng Article History Received: 20 September 2019 Accepted: 23 October 2019 Published: January 2020 Citation Jude Nwafor Eze, Philip Audu Ibrahim, Saliu Akinlabi Tiamiyu, Muhammed Alfa. Assessment of drought occurrences and its implications on agriculture in Niger State, Nigeria. Discovery Agriculture, 2020, 6(15), 1-10 Publication License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. General Note Article is recommended to print as color version in recycled paper. Save Trees, Save Nature. ABSTRACT The study analyses the extent of drought events and its consequences on agriculture. This is to integrate drought adaptation options into government development plans. Strategies for drought adaptation options in the study area have often been made without experimental foundations placed on the extent of drought and its implications on agriculture. To achieve this, a climatic index (CI) analysis of rainfall was employed to ascertain the extent of drought occurrences using standard deviation as a tool for rationalization. The study also used crop yield to test the relationship between the yield and rainfall characteristics for thirty years (1988-2017). Rainfall data and crop yield (soybean, maize, and groundnut) were collected. The data collected were analysed using statistical and climatic index analyses. The results show that there were various degrees of drought that occurred (from mild drought to severe droughts). Moreover, the regression analysis shows that F-values > p-values. Consequently, the occurrences of ANALYSIS VOL. 6(15), January – June, 2020 Agriculture ISSN 2347–3819 EISSN 2347–386X DISCOVERY