Extreme climatic events represent a major constraint for rain-dependent family farming in tropical areas. This study analyses the effects of climate extremes on family farming in the Commune of Ouinhi, southern Benin, through rainfall and temperature variability, their impacts on agricultural yields and household livelihoods, and the statistical correlation between these parameters. The methodological approach relies on daily climatic data covering the 1990-2023 period and survey data collected from 125 farming households and 37 resource persons across the four districts of the Commune of Ouinhi. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized Temperature Index (STI) were used to characterize climatic variability, while Pearson's correlation coefficient, computed in R, assessed the relationship between these indices and maize and cassava production. The results show that the SPI ranges between -1.6 and +2.1 with no significant linear trend (R² = 0.012), reflecting an irregular alternation of wet and dry years. The STI reveals a climatic shift from 2006 onward, marked by a continuous dominance of warm years. Maize production rose until 2010-2011 (over 20,000 tonnes) before collapsing sharply in 2011-2012, whereas cassava, more resilient, remained between 80,000 and 112,000 tonnes over the period. Pearson correlation coefficients between climatic indices and agricultural production remain weak and statistically non-significant (|r| ≤ 0.38; p > 0.05), suggesting that agricultural impacts stem more from the crossing of critical thresholds during extreme years than from a continuous linear relationship with climatic parameters. A generalized decline in financial, social and natural livelihood capitals between 2004 and 2024 further reflects the growing vulnerability of farming households. Strengthening water control, crop diversification and institutional support to farmers are essential levers for improving the resilience of family farming to climate extremes in Ouinhi.
