CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATTION AND TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY OF CASSAVA FARMERS IN EKITI STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined climate change adaptation and technical efficiency of cassava farmers in Ekiti State, Nigeria. It specifically identified the socio-economic characteristics, and the constraints encountered by the respondents, examined the various causes of climate changes noticed by the cassava farmers, examined the different coping strategies employed by the cassava farmers to meet with climate change adversity, analyzed the determinants of coping strategies adopted by the respondents and analyzed the determinants of technical efficiency on cassava production in the study area. The study used multi-stage sampling technique to obtain data from 180 cassava farmers that selected from 3 Local Government Areas in Ekiti State based. Descriptive analysis, Tobit regression analysis and stochastic frontier function were used to analyze the data. Change in time of rain, drought, high temperature, soil erosion, incidence of sudden heavy rain and increase in number of hot days were the perceived forms of climate change respectively while high cost of farm inputs, government policy, labour availability, low income level, poor agricultural extension services delivery, poor climate information, poor transportation and loss of land due to erosion were the constraints encountered by the cassava farmers respectively. The proportion and various coping strategies employed by the cassava farmers were; adoption of new varieties (60.6%), changing farmland (57.9%), changing planting date (91.1%), improving farming practices (75.6%), weather monitoring (85.6%), off farm activities (72.2%), and increase land size culture (27.8%). The study revealed that the determinants of adoption of coping strategies to climate change were educational level, primary occupation, household size, farm size, farming experience, and extension services delivery. The influence of climate change adaptation strategies on the technical efficiency of respondents revealed that technical inefficiency effects existed in cassava production in the study area as confirmed by the gamma value of 0.973 that was significant at 1 percent level. The parameter estimates from the inefficiency model included in the stochastic production frontier estimation revealed that extension contact, educational level, and increasing land size culture had significant negative effects on technical inefficiency. This also underscores the importance of education, extension services and farm size in raising cassava production through improvement in the technical knowledge of cassava farmers in Nigeria. Also, the results of the study further revealed that technical efficiency in cassava production in Ekiti State, Nigeria ranges from 14.9% to 98.4% with a mean of 86.6%. This means that there are substantial opportunities to increase productivity and income through more efficient utilization of productive resources. Important factors related to technical efficiency were farm size, planting material, educational level, off farm activities, increasing land size culture and improving farm practices It is therefore recommended that farmers should be encouraged to involve in off-farm activities as a coping strategy to climate change effects. Also, farmers should be educated on the appropriate coping strategies to adopt during climate changes and effort should be geared towards increasing the technical manpower of farmers and also reduce the incidence of pest and diseases in the study area, which will amount to increase in level of production and in turn increase farmers’ income. Lastly, the study revealed that farm size and planting materials are positive significant factors influencing cassava production in Ekiti State. Therefore, a land redistribution policy (by reviewing land use act) that will increase the farm size of farmers since they are mainly small scale farmers will boost cassava production. Planting materials must be adequately available to farmers through government at subsidized rate if commercialized.