Farmers’ perception on the effects of climate change on groundnut production in Obi Local Government Area of Benue

Abstract

The study analyzed farmer’s perception on the effect of climate change on groundnut production in Obi Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria. Despite the fact that efforts have been made towards combating climate change, research and policies directed towards understanding of local perception are useful in understanding the true implications of changing climate. This study was therefore conducted against this backdrop based on groundnut production in the study area. Data were collected by using structured questionnaire and administered on 100 farmers randomly selected. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and spearman’s correlation. About 61.0% of the farmers were female, while 34.0% of them were between 31 and above 40 years old. While 26.0% had no formal education, 74.0% had various levels of formal education. About 77.0% of the farmers had many years of farming experience ranging from less than 10 years to 20 years. Most farmers (70.0%) had farm size of less than 20.50.0% had household size of between 6-16 persons; 49.0% and 34.0% had less than ₦5,000 monthly income and less than N50,000 annual income respectively . All the farmers (100%) were aware of the effects climate change in the area. The correlation result showed a significant relationship at 0.01 between effect of climate change and groundnut production. Farmers perceived high rainfall, temperature and spread of pests and diseases among others, as the greatest adverse effects of climate change. Some of the strategies adopted to combat the adverse effects included; use of fertilizer, use of improved crop varieties and conservation of soil, among. While barriers encountered were lack of information, high cost of fertilizer, lack of government responsiveness to climate change.

Keywords: Farmers Perception, Effect, Climate Change, Groundnut Production