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Adaptation Strategies To Climate Variability Among Arable Crop Farmers
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The adverse
consequences of climate variability includes damage on arable lands,
livelihoods and biodiversity will take an irreplaceable toll on food
production in developing countries like Nigeria which have a low
capacity to cope and adapt to these challenges (Sha, Fischer van
Velthuizen, 2009). Given the foregoing challenges a study of this nature
will be a timely intervention. Many studies have been carried out in
addressing the effects of climate variability on agriculture in Nigeria.
However, not many of these studies have fully addressed the issues of
adaptation strategies. Enete and Amusa (2011) discussed the challenges
of agricultural adaptation to climate change in Nigeria, but the study
was based on review of relevant literature thus leaving a gap for more
empirical approach to the study of this issue.Enete and Amusa (2011) in
another paper made further attempts to investigate the most
cost-effective and sustainable indigenous climate change adaptation
practices in South East Nigeria but studies covering wider area such as
Nigerian agro-climatic zones and several arable crops simultaneously
appear not to have been documented yet.
Umoh and Eketekpe (2010)
attempted to study climate change adaptation measures by wetland farmers
in Niger Delta region of Nigeria but did not study any other State
beyond Bayelsa out of the nine States in the Niger Delta. The study
focused only on a single Local Government Area. The study of Emaziye
(2013) was based on perceptions of climate change among rural farming
households in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria in other todetermine the
direction of change of the climate change indicators thus leaving a gap
for empirical studies on adaptation especially in Delta State where
little or no work on adaptation strategies has been done. Previous
studies showed that the dimensions of use of these measures have not
been effectively explored particularly in Delta State. This is
considered important, considering the fact that farmers least able to
adapt to climate variability will suffer most severely.
In the light of this, this study has addressed the following research questions:
What are the socio-economic characteristics of crop farmers?
What is the perception of crop farmer’s about climate variability?
What are the adaptation strategies adopted by farmers to mitigate the effects of climate variability?
What socioeconomic and environmental factors influence farmers’ choice of adaptation strategies?
What factors constrain farmers in adapting to the effects of climate variability?
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The
main objective of the study was to determine the Adaptation strategies
to climate variability by arable crop farmers in Delta State. The
specific objectives were to:
i)describe the socio-economic characteristics of arable crop farmers in the study area.
(ii)ascertain farmers’ perception about climate variability on crop production.
(iii)examine adaptation practices adopted by arable crop farmers in the study area.
(iv).ascertain the factors that influence farmers’ choice of adaptation strategies.
(v). determine the cost and return of adaptation strategies among arable farmers.
(vi)identify constraints to adoption of adaptation strategies by arable crop farmers .
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