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Contrasting Influences of Seasonal and Intra-Seasonal Hydroclimatic Variabilities on the Irrigated Rice Paddies of Northern Peninsular Malaysia for Weather Index Insurance Design

Author

Listed:
  • Zed Zulkafli

    (Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang 43400, Malaysia)

  • Farrah Melissa Muharam

    (Department of Agriculture Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang 43400, Malaysia)

  • Nurfarhana Raffar

    (Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang 43400, Malaysia)

  • Amirparsa Jajarmizadeh

    (Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang 43400, Malaysia)

  • Mukhtar Jibril Abdi

    (Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang 43400, Malaysia)

  • Balqis Mohamed Rehan

    (Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang 43400, Malaysia)

  • Khairudin Nurulhuda

    (Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang 43400, Malaysia)

Abstract

Good index selection is key to minimising basis risk in weather index insurance design. However, interannual, seasonal, and intra-seasonal hydroclimatic variabilities pose challenges in identifying robust proxies for crop losses. In this study, we systematically investigated 574 hydroclimatic indices for their relationships with yield in Malaysia’s irrigated double planting system, using the Muda rice granary as a case study. The responses of seasonal rice yields to seasonal and monthly averages and to extreme rainfall, temperature, and streamflow statistics from 16 years’ observations were examined by using correlation analysis and linear regression. We found that the minimum temperature during the crop flowering to the maturity phase governed yield in the drier off-season (season 1, March to July, Pearson correlation, r = +0.87; coefficient of determination, R 2 = 74%). In contrast, the average streamflow during the crop maturity phase regulated yield in the main planting season (season 2, September to January, r = +0.82, R 2 = 67%). During the respective periods, these indices were at their lowest in the seasons. Based on these findings, we recommend temperature- and water-supply-based indices as the foundations for developing insurance contracts for the rice system in northern Peninsular Malaysia.

Suggested Citation

  • Zed Zulkafli & Farrah Melissa Muharam & Nurfarhana Raffar & Amirparsa Jajarmizadeh & Mukhtar Jibril Abdi & Balqis Mohamed Rehan & Khairudin Nurulhuda, 2021. "Contrasting Influences of Seasonal and Intra-Seasonal Hydroclimatic Variabilities on the Irrigated Rice Paddies of Northern Peninsular Malaysia for Weather Index Insurance Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-23, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:9:p:5207-:d:549856
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Maity, Rittick & Kumarasamy, Sudhakar & Razak, Amir Abdul & Minelli, Federico, 2026. "Solar energy analysis for agrivoltaic system design in tropical climates: A new integrated modeling framework," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 344(C).
    2. Nurfarhana Raffar & Zed Zulkafli & Balqis Mohamed Rehan & Khairudin Nurulhuda & Chung Jing Xiang & Fredolin Tangang & Liew Juneng, 2026. "The sensitivity of hydroclimatic risk to plausible future hydroclimatic changes in the irrigated rice paddies of Malaysia," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 179(1), pages 1-26, January.

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