Capacity for teaching climate change adaptation in the university faculties of agriculture in south east Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined teaching capacity for agricultural adaptation to climate change in the University Faculties of Agriculture in South east Nigeria. One hundred and thirty randomly selected academic staff in the University Faculties of Agriculture were used. Data were collected using questionnaire and analyzed by descriptive statistics and factor analysis. Majority (78.3%) of academic staff were males, married (85.8%) with an average of eight years of experience in teaching. A greater proportion (50.8%) had Ph.D and two years of research experience in climate change. Only 10% of the Universities indicated existence of postgraduate programme. Climate change content of courses taught were on issues such as vulnerability to climate change (27.7%), adaptation (25.5%), mitigation (23.2%), and indigenous strategies to climate change (22.5%). The teaching materials employed included textbooks (83.3%), journal (78.3%), conference proceedings (66.7%), articles on Climate Change and agricultural adaptation (80.8%) and lectures/teaching notes (44.2%). The major teaching methods used to communicate climate change concepts were lecture (63.3%) and field trip (12.6%). Teaching capability of the Universities were constrained by poor understanding of climate change concept, poor learning environment, weak infrastructure, and inadequate fund. The study therefore recommends universal review of curriculum and programmes to increase climate change content of courses, and provision of climate change teaching materials in the University Faculties of Agriculture. This however, requires adequate funding, availability of infrastructure, enabling environment through favourable policy and cooperation of all stakeholders in development process.

Key Words: climate change, adaptation, capacity, teaching, agriculture