CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the
Study
Agriculture is one of the most important sector of the
Nigerian economy which accounts for about 42% of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) and over 70% of non-oil exports. It provides over 80% of the food
needs of the country. About 70% of Nigerians live in rural area, and 90% of
these are engaged in agriculture. This implies that agriculture is a key sector
that stands to affect majority of Nigerians positively (Okolo, 2004). Despite
its high contribution to the overall economy, this sector has been seriously
facing challenges of many factors of which climate-related disasters such as
drought and floods are the major ones (Deressa, 2008). According to Udofia
(2001), the frightening effects of climate variability on the entire
environment has reached a global dimension. Although its effects and the
ecological and economic consequences are well perceived, they appear not to have
been given the serious attention they deserve.
Climate is defined as the statistical description interms of
mean and variability of relevant quantities over a period ranging from months
to thousands or millions of years. The classical period is 30yrs as defined by
the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO, 1992).These quantities are most
often surface variables such as temperature, precipitation, and wind. The
difference between climate and weather is that climate is what you expect while
weather is what you get. The term climate variability denotes the natural
characteristics of climate that manifests itself within the changes of climate
with regards to time. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2001) defines
climate variability as “variations in the mean state and other statistics (such
as standard deviations, the occurrence of extremes, etc.) of the climate on all
temporal and spatial scales beyond that ofindividual weather events”. This
definition allows the consideration of climate change as a low frequency
component of climate variability that can be managed using the same
quantitative tools and research approaches (Mertz and Stone, 2003). Climate
variation can enhance or diminish a local area’s comparative advantage in
agriculture.
Changes in soil water availability, the increased occurrence
of climate fluctuation, climate extremes and crop diseases, could lead to an
overall reduction in crop yield and serious food shortage. Projections suggest
that by the end of the 21stcentury, climate variability would have had
substantial impact on crop production (Slater et al 2007). Humanity cannot
accurately predict what the next season will bring but farmers, input
suppliers, marketers and government would all like to know because it is
critical to decision making. Climate variability has created uncertainties in
temperature, rainfall and wind patterns. As a result, rural people in countries
like Nigeria whose main occupation or economic activity is agriculture, are
faced with so many challenges in decision making with respect to their
agricultural activities ( Barnwal and Kotani, 2010).
Climate variability adaptation methods according to Nyong,
Adesina and Osman-Elasha (2007) are those strategies that enable the individual
or the community to cope with or adjust to the impacts of the change in
climate. Although, Zeirvogel et al (2008) had noted that the world has been
undergoing series of adaptation in response to climate variability; the current
climate change is expected to present heightened risk, new combinations of
risks and potentially grave consequences. As such, adaptation has been
identified as a policy option to mitigate the adverse effects of climate
variability on farm productivity. In
agriculture, adaptation helps farmers achieve their food, income and livelihood
security objectives in the face of changing climatic and socio-economic
conditions including climatic variability, extreme weather conditions such as
droughts, floods and volatile short term changes in local and large scale
markets (Kandlinkar and Risbey, 2000).
Agricultural adaptation has been described as one of the
policy tools to ameliorate the ravaging effects of climate variability (
Kurukulasuriya and Mendelsohn, 2008). Mendelsohn and Dinar reported in 1999
that from farm level analysis, large reductions in adverse impacts from climate
variability are possible when adaptation is fully implemented (FAO, 2007). Some
adaptation strategies for crop production among farmers include adoption of
efficient environmental resources management practices such as the planting of
early maturing crops, mulching, small scale irrigation, adoption of hardy
varieties of crops, tree planting and staking to avoid heat burns (Nyong, et
al, 2007). There are lots of challenges facing agricultural adaptation in
Nigeria. According to Nzeh and Eboh (2011) lack of awareness and knowledge on
climate variability is perhaps the biggest obstacle to effective agricultural
adaptation. Onyeneke and Madukwe (2010) also opined other barriers to include
lack of information on appropriate adaptation option, poor access to market and
shortage of farm labour.
Apata et al (2010) reported that capital, land and labour
serve as important factors for coping with adaptation, stressing that the lack
of these factors as well as choice of suitable adaptive measures constitute severe
challenge to agricultural adaptation. This is consistent with Deressa et al
(2008) report that adaptation to climate variability is costly, and the need
for intensive labour use exacerbate this cost. This therefore calls for
development of various adaptation strategies in order to cope with the
variability in climate. Such strategies focus on managing risks, reducing
vulnerability, enhancing agricultural productivity, protecting the environment
and ensuring sustainable development under the changing climate.
1.2 Statement of the
Problem
Recent studies confirm that Africa is one of the most
vulnerable continents to climate variability and change and low adaptive
capacity. Some adaptation to current climate variability has been taking place;
however, this may be insufficient for future changes in climate (IPCC,
2007). The uncertainty associated with
climate variability is a disincentive to investment and adoption of
agricultural technologies and market opportunities, prompting the risk-averse
farmer to favour precautionary strategies that buffer against climatic change,
particularly as a result of increased variability and extreme over activities
that are more profitable on average (Barrett et al, 2007). It has been
predicted that many farmers in Africa are likely to experience net revenue
losses as a result of climate change, particularly as a result of increased
variability and extreme events (TerrAfrica, 2009).
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 to determine 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 .