Olanrewaju Solomon Olatunji, Sheu-Usman Oladipo Akanbi, Akinyinka Akinyoade, Olamide Sulaiman Oladipo, Uswat Temitayo Adeyemi

Vulnerability of Rice Farmers to Climate Change in Kwara State, Nigeria

Climate unpredictability and weather extremes are being projected as capable of presenting additional challenges for farmers currently engaged in the low-technology based food production systems in sub-Saharan countries like Nigeria. This study assessed rice farming households’ vulnerability to climate change in Kwara State, Nigeria. Primary data, collected from 150 respondents using simple random sampling procedure were analysed employing descriptive statistic was use to describe the coping strategies adopted and Human Development Index (HDI) was created to assess vulnerability of rice farmers to climate change. Statistical analyses indicated a vulnerability assessment index of 0.3001, pointing to a fact that the zone is prone to the adverse effects of climatic variability. For this reason, the study empirically underscores the need for farmers to adopt and adapt the planting of drought tolerant and/or early maturing varieties of rice. Importantly, the capacities of the local communities needs to be strengthened vis-à-vis the relationship between climate change and crop production. Capacity building at the farm level is crucial for improving crop, soil and water management, enhancing the demand for and use of better and more efficient production inputs. Tied to farm-level capacity building is the need to refocus public agricultural-based institutions towards exposing the rice farmers to effective mitigation strategies in the wake of climate change, provision of agricultural inputs, expansion of irrigation, efficient and effective extension service delivery, market development and other forms of necessary support.

PDF

___

Adger WN, Dessai S, Goulden M, Hulme M, Lorenzoni I, Nelson DR, Naess LO, Wolf J, Wreford A. 2009. Are there social limits to adaptation to climate change? Climatic Change 93: 335–354.
Coumou D, Rahmstorf S. 2012. A decade of weather extremes. Nature Climate Change, 2:491-496.
Hatfield JL, Boote KJ, Kimball BA, Ziska LH, Izaurralde RC, Ort D, Thomson AM, Wolfe D. 2011. Climate impacts on agriculture: Implications for crop production. Agronomy Journal, 103, 351-370.
Jackson L, van Noordwijk M, Bengstsson J, Foster W, Lipper L, Pulleman M, Vodouhe R. 2010. Biodiversity and agricultural sustainability: From assessment to adaptive management. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 2, 80-87.
Kwara Agricultural Development Project (KWADP) (2018). Kwara State Agricultural Development Project, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural development, Ilorin, Kwara available from State.www.kwarastate.gov.ng (accessed 15 July, 2019).
Nigg JM, Mileti D. 2002. Natural hazards and disasters. In Dunlap R. E., Michelson W. (Eds.), Handbook of environmental sociology (pp. 272-294). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. [Google Scholar]
Nwajiuba C. 2013. Nigeria’s Agriculture and Food Security Challenges. 1st ed. [ebook] Nigeria: Boell p.45. Available at https://ng.boell.org/sites/default/files/uploads/2013/10/agricult ure_ _green_deal_nigeria_study.pdf [Accessed 5 May 2017]. Punch 2018, http://punch.com/flood-sacks-five-kwara- communities [Accessed 5 May 2018].
Slovic P. 2009. The perception of risk. Earthscan, London, England. Smithers J, Smit B. 1997. Human adaptation to climatic variability and change. Global Environmental Change 7 (3):129–146.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Handbook on Constructing Composite Indicators. Methodology and User Guide; Joint Research Centre- European Commission: Paris, France, 2008.
Uba G 2013. Nigeria Investing in Rice Processing Project. ThisDay Newspaper 15th Jan 2013.
UNDP 2006. Human Development Report, United Nations Development Programme. Available at: http://hdr.undp.org/ hdr2006/statistics (accessed 15 July, 2019). UNFCCC 2007. “Climate Change impact vulnerability and adaptation in Developing countries”, Bonn.
USDA 2018. Production, supply and distribution online. Retrieved from https://apps.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/app/ index.html#/app/home (accessed 15 July, 2019).
Zoellick RB. 2009. A Climate Smart Future, the Nation Newspapers. Vintage Press Limited, Lagos, Nigeria 18