Vulnerability analysis of maize farmers to climate risk in Kwara state, Nigeria

Abstract

There is an increasing concern on the vulnerability of farmers to the impact of climate change. The study analyses maize farmers’ vulnerability to climate risk, it specifically determines their knowledge of climate change; examines their vulnerability; identifies the determinants of vulnerability and their management strategies. Three-stage random sampling was employed. Descriptive statistics, Likert scale, vulnerability index and stepwise regression were the tools of analysis. Result showed 79.5% of the respondents were males while 20.5% were females; 77.5% had no formal education; and their mean farm size was 2.88ha. The majority of the farmers agreed that the climate is changing which is corroborated by the meteorological data analysed. The vulnerability assessment shows that the farmers are vulnerable. The determinants of vulnerability among the farmers were years of experience, information about climate change, sensitivity of farming resource and susceptibility to drought.. The results also showed that farmers do not have the necessary capacity to mitigate against the effect of climate change. It therefore recommends that adequate climatic information, easy access to drought tolerant maize variety should be prioritize in policy making.

Keywords: Climate Risk, Kwara State, Maize Farmers, Nigeria, Vulnerability.