Farmers' adoption of climate change mitigation strategies and their effects on livelihoods In Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study analysed Farmers adoption of climate change mitigation strategies and their effects on livelihood in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The study utilized a sample of 85 respondents, applying descriptive statistics to analyze the objectives and employing a binary logit model to test the first hypothesis. Results showed that the average age, household size, farm size, and farm experience was 38.06 years, about 8 persons, 2.52ha. and 12.76 years respectively. Most (41.18%) farmers rating on level of adoption of adaptive strategies was low and this negatively affected the farmers income. Also, the farmers respectively earned N463,176.48 and N329,623.52 before and during effects of climate change. Farmers experienced a loss difference of N133,552.96. Most (54.2%) farmers agreed that climate change has high effect on their livelihood status due to low adoption rate of climate change mitigation strategies. Several factors like poverty and hunger (mean = 3.59) and farmers health challenges (mean = 3.52) affected adoption of climate change mitigation strategies, coupled with socio-economic factors like age, education, household size, farm size and farm income significantly influence climate change mitigation strategies. Conclusively, the farmers encountered a loss amounting to N133,552.96 of farm income to climate change which resulted to low livelihood status of the farmers. It was recommended that there should be adequate provision of improved resistant varieties of crops and animals to the reach of the farmers and there should also be provision of adequate and timely information regarding climate change adaptive strategies to the farmers through their extension agents.