ASSESSMENT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION STRATEGIES AMONG RICE FARMERS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

This study’s overall objectives is focused on the assessment of climate change adaptation strategies among rice farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The study further determined the extent climate change affects rice farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria, found out the climate change strategies adapted by rice farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria, examined the factors influencing the adoption of strategies that rice farmers adopt in Kaduna State, Nigeria and investigated the constraints to the adoption of climate change adaption strategies by rice farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The framework guiding the study was anchored community ecology theory. The research adopted the survey descriptive design and self- structured questionnaire was issued to the respondents and 35 responses were validated for the study. Results of the study, showed that the extent climate change affect rice farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria is high. Findings also showed that the climate change strategies adapted by rice farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria include practice of migration, off-farm jobs, irrigation practices etc. The study recommends there is need to make the rice farmers participate in programmes that address adaptation policies in the country. The research also suggests that for rice farmers to be more efficient technically and in profit making, government and non-governmental organizations should help them in the provision of input-based adaptation strategies (e.g. multiple crop varieties) so that their production and profit can be enhanced in the face of changing climate.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1. Background of the study

Agriculture is one of the most important sectors of the Nigerian economy, accounting for around 42% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and more than 70% of the country's exports of goods other than oil. It satisfies more than 80 percent of the nation's dietary requirements (Oyekale, Bolaji, & Olowa, 2021). There are around 70 percent of Nigerians who reside in rural areas, and 90 percent of those people work in agriculture. This suggests that agriculture is a crucial industry that has the potential to favourably impact the lives of the vast majority of Nigerians (Okolo, 2004). This industry has been gravely challenged by a number of issues, the most significant of which are climate-related calamities like as drought and floods. Despite its large contribution to the economy as a whole, this sector has been facing serious challenges (Ozor, Madukwe, Enete, Amaechina, Onokola, Eboh, Ujah, & Garforth, 2022). According to Udofia (2001), the terrifying impacts of climatic variability on the entire environment have reached a global dimension. This conclusion was reached by the author. In spite of the widespread awareness of its impacts as well as the ecological and economic repercussions, it would appear that these issues have not received the level of serious attention they merit.

The statistical description of climate, expressed in terms of mean and variability of key parameters over a time period ranging from months to hundreds or millions of years is referred to as climate. According to the definition provided by the World Meteorological Organization, the classical period lasts for a period of thirty years (WMO, 1992). Surface variables like as temperature, precipitation, and wind speed are most frequently included in this category of values. The distinction between climate and weather is that climate is what you anticipate, while weather is what actually occurs. Climate is what you anticipate, while weather is what actually occurs (Ozor, Madukwe, Enete, Amaechina, Onokola, Eboh, Ujah, & Garforth, 2022). 

Climate change is occurring in every part of the planet earth. Natural processes can lead to climate change; however, anthropological activities such as coal mining, bush burning, fumes from cars and industries as well as emission of greenhouse gasses (IPCC, 2007). The change and variability in climate are becoming a serious global problem that affects many sectors of economic growth in the world. Those sectors that are widely affected by the impacts of climate-related hazards and calamities include; agriculture, water, fisheries, forestry, wild life, energy, industrial processes and product use, waste management, human health, and the sustainable livelihood of both rural and urban communities (Lema and Majule, 2009; Bie et al.,2008). Nigeria is currently reaching a lower middle-incomestatus but is vulnerable to climate change since Nigeria’s agriculture is still dependent on climate and it has been detected that the temperature conditions in all the ecological zones in Nigeria are rising, as well as less predictable rainfall patterns (MEST, 2010). Such changes may manifest in the reduction in land quality and low agricultural yields (Idrisa et al., 2012). Rice is a staple food which constitutes a major part of the diet of many countries in the world (Oteng and Anna, 1999). It is widelycultivated with high production in South-East Asia, and largely exported by the United States of America in the world and Southern Europe regions (Longtau, 2000). In Sub-Saharan Africa, West Africa is the leading producer and consumer of rice. The crop iswidely produced in Cote d’Ivoire, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Sierra Leone (NISER, 2002). The sub region produces 42% of all the rice produced in Africa while the other four regions North Africa, East Africa, Central Africa and Southern Africa produce 32%, 23.8%, 1.2% and 1% respectively showing insignificant levels of production (Oteng and Anna, 1999). Africa has great potential for expanding its agricultural production in general and rice in particular (Oteng andAnna, 1999) as the potential arable land in Africa is 637 million ha and about 68 percent of the total area is in reserves (Okigbo, 1982). In Nigeria, the cultivation of rice has been in existence for a very long time. It was one of the major commercialfood crops in the 17thand 18thcenturies (Mobil and Okran, 1985). The crop is very important with regards to the diets of Nigerians, as well as its availability throughout the year is of great concern as the crop, maize, millet and sorghum and other cereals are grown for food and income for both the rural and urban households in Nigeria (Mabe et al.,2012). Presently, rice is one of the major cereals produced in Nigeria, but its production as for other crops, is affected by extremities in weather and climate such as floods, salt stress and extreme temperatures. Kranjac-Berisavljevic et al.(2003). The major climate change impacts will be on rainfall, which will be changing and less reliable. This is expected to affect the onset and length of growing seasons of the crop, particularly in semiarid areas where yields from agricultural farmlands that are mostly rain-fed could be reduced by up to 20 to 50% by 2050 Sarr et al.(2007). The increase in temperatures is also likely to reduce the duration of the hot off-season period for irrigated rice farming, owing to increased risk of sterility due to high temperatures at flowering stage of the crop (Darko et al.,2013) hence the need for this study.

2. Statement of the problem

Climate change threatens food production (Mulenga et al., 2017; Ayanlade et al., 2018) with dare consequences for staple food supply. Food systems especially staple food which is of high importance to developing economies are affected, and these fall short of the supply margins due to climate change effects on agricultural production. In sub-Sahara Africa (SSA), there are records of negative effects of climate change on rice yield, significant crop income losses, reduction in grain quality (Kima et al., 2014; Harvey et al., 2014; Bosello et al., 2018; van Oort, Zwart, 2018), and rice processing. Climatic variables (such as CO2 concentration, humidity, temperature, rainfall, etc.) create atmospheric conditions which affect food crops in the field and storage and in production and processing. Sub-Sahara African food systems and value chains are plagued by climate change with manifestations such as drought, declining rainfall, flooding, and rising temperatures (Niang et al., 2014). The effect on the grains (rice) value chain is not spared.

Rice is one of the most important food crops especially in developing countries, where there is high dependence on staple food crops (such as rice) of high calorie content (Saito et al., 2015; Onyeneke et al., 2021). The production of rice in Nigeria is therefore expected to reduce by 36 per cent as many rice farmers have abandoned their rice fields as a result of the effects of climatic pressures in the country (Oppong-Ansah, 2011). Despite the damaging effects of climate change to Nigeria’s agriculture, options aimed at responding (adapting) to climate change are few and therefore makes the poor who depend on farming, fishing and/or forestry as their main livelihood become more vulnerable to the changes in climatic condition (Sagoe, 2006). Therefore, the need to encourage rural farmers’ adaptation to the changingclimatic conditions cannot be over emphasized. Adaptation is generally seen as the most basic way by which one can respond to the adverse impact of climate change. It is how individuals, groups and natural systems make preparation for and react to the changes in climate (Mitchell and Tanner, 2006). Successful adaptation can reduce humans’ exposure to external shocks (such as flood) and stresses (such as gradual temperature increase) by building on and strengthening existing coping mechanisms and assets (Mitchell and Tanner, 2006). According to (IPCC, 2001), the level of damage caused to any agricultural system by climate change will depend on its ability to adapt. This adaptive capacity of the agricultural system is the ability of the system to adjust to climate change to avert any estimated damage and take advantage of opportunities so as to be able to cope with the consequences. Therefore, the adaptive capacity of any agricultural system is its ability to make changes in its behavior to enable it withstands the changes in external conditions. Nonetheless, for a farmer to adapt to climate change, he must first detect that change followed by the identification and implementation of a better adaptation (Maddison, 2006). Many adaptations to climate change some of which include crop diversification, changing the timing of operations, diversification of sources of income, development and promotion of new crop varieties, and improvement of water management techniques (Smith and Lenhart, 1996). Some of these adaptations are only potential adaptation measures instead of the ones actually used by the farmers. In fact, it has not been proven that these adaptation options are feasible, realistic, or even likely to occur. Additionally, they would only be possible if and only if farmers have full information of climatic conditions. This implies that studies on the impact of climate change often take on certain adaptations with very little information on how, when, why, and under what conditions these adaptations occur. Nigeria has a great potential in producing rice in Sub Saharan Africa, but lack of adequate supply of water together with undesirable climate change indicators such as temperature, precipitation, relative humidity and bright sunshine duration have the tendency of negatively affecting rice yields in the districts of study and in Nigeria as a whole (Mabe et al.,2012). To be able to continue high rice production in the country and in the districts of study, it is very important for rice farmers to adapt to climate change (Mabe et al.,2012). There exists very little knowledge on whether farmers perceive climate change and have adopted any adaptation to climate change. This study therefore intends to assess climate change adaptation strategies among rice farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria. 

1.3Objective of the Study

The broad objective of this study is focused on assess climate change adaptation strategies among rice farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria. Specific objectives includes:

1. To determine the extent climate change affects rice farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

2. To find out the climate change strategies adapted by rice farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

3. To examine the factors influencing the adoption of strategies that rice farmers adopt in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

4. To investigate the constraints to the adoption of climate change adaption strategies by rice farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

1.4Research Questions

The following questions derived from the research objectives will guide this study; 

1. To what extent does climate change affect rice farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria?

2. What are the climate change strategies adapted by rice farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria?

3. What are the factors influencing the adoption of strategies that rice farmers adopt in Kaduna State, Nigeria?

4. What are the constraints to the adoption of climate change adaption strategies by rice farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria?

1.5 Significance of the Study

The present inability of food crop production sector to meet the foods demand of Nigerians and the challenge posed by climate change and variability emphasized the need for the improvement of food crop farmers.

Failure to know the present food crop production efficiency (technical and profit) and the influence of climate change coping strategies on efficiency level of food crop production will inhibit designing and formulating appropriate policies to meet food crop production demands of the country. Developing economies can benefit much from inefficiency studies especially a type like this that incorporates farmers’ adaptation strategies to climate change to explain efficiencies.

The results of this study are expected to give direction for policy makers in designing appropriate public policies to increase agricultural productivity and mitigating effects of climate change on food crop production in Nigeria especially in the Southwestern zone. It will provide a useful guide to international and local donor agencies interested in climate change mitigation and adaptation in their provision of grants and funds for environmental and resource management studies. The results of this study will also help agricultural planners in the Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs) and Ministries of Agriculture, Science and Technology; and Environment in the southwestern region and Nigeria as a whole in their planning activities and providing useful weather data that will guide in planning public (or planned) adaptations to complement the farm-level (or autonomous) adaptation strategies. Researchers are going to have a good resource base to look at climate change for further work. Farmers are also going to benefit by knowing those adaptation strategies to climate change that are more productive and efficiency-enhancing

1.6 Scope of Study 

This study focused on focused on the assessment of gender based variation in the perception of climate change impact, vulnerability and adaptation strategies among crops farmers. Specifically, this study will focus on determining the extent climate change affects rice farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria, finding out the climate change strategies adapted by rice farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria, examining the factors influencing the adoption of strategies that rice farmers adopt in Kaduna State, Nigeria and investigating the constraints to the adoption of climate change adaption strategies by rice farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

Selected rice farmers in Kaduna State, Nigeria will serve as respondents for this study.

1.7 Limitations of the Study

The major limitation was on data collection. The enumerators elicited information from the respondents using interview schedule as against the supposed structured questionnaire. The respondents were interviewed all through because of the importance of the information the questionnaire to elicit. It was also self-administered as it is supposed though this made the collection of data to take more time than necessary but the data were free of error due to omission of relevant information needed for the study.

Another limitation was the issue of finance for the data collection. This was overcome as the researcher sought for money to address this issue in order to still meet up with the set time for the data collection. Additionally, the researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. More so, the choice of the sample size was limited to Kaduna State, Nigeria hence cannot be generalize to other regions. However, despite the constraint encountered during the research, all factors were downplayed in other to give the best and make the research successful.

1.8 Definition of terms

Climate: Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years.

Climate change: Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, but since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels (like coal, oil and gas), which produces heat-trapping gases.

Adaptation: The action or process of adapting or being adapted

Strategies: A plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall aim.

Get this material NGN 5,000

Message Us on WhatsApp  »