FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ADOPTION OF CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION STRATEGIES AMONG CASSAVA FARMERS IN SOUTHWEST, NIGERIA.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Climate change adaptation plans entail the foreseeing of the negative effects of climate change and putting in place measures that will avoid or mitigate the effects. This research paper investigated the adoption of such strategies as influenced by the factors in cassava farmers in Southwest Nigeria. A sample of 155 active cassava farmers was surveyed using multistage sampling technique and using structured questionnaires. It was analyzed in terms of socioeconomic features of the farmers, preferences to various climate adaptation strategies, and the amount of strategies used by them, etc. Some of the tools of analysis used were Descriptive Statistics (DS), Ordered Probit Regression (OPR), Poisson Regression (PR) and Likert Scale. The socioeconomic results revealed an average Age (47.7years), household size (7members), farming experience (15.3years) and extension contacts (7contacts) for the cassava farmers. Preference for climate adaptation strategies showed mulching (m=4.34; 1st), crop rotation and intercropping (m=3.88; 2nd) and changing planting and harvesting dates (m=3.61; 3rd) among others. OPR result indicated that farm size(0.0206; p<0.01), years of education (0.0079; p<0.01), sex(0.0391; p<0.05), association membership (0.2521; p<0.01) and farmland topography (0.2986; p<0.05) influenced the adoption of climate change adaptation strategies by the cassava farmers while the result of PR revealed that farm size(0.0068; p<0.01), extension contacts(0.1300; p<p<0.01), association membership (0.5706; p<0.05), cropping system (0.1083; p<0.05) and topography (0.0508; p<0.05) positively influenced the number of climate adaptation strategies employed by the cassava farmers. It was concluded that the use of climate adaptation strategies was widely adopted by the farmers, no matter the number, in the study area as it averts crop loss shock and impending revenue reduction. It is recommended that more extension contacts should be made available to cassava farmers for more awareness creation in terms of technical information and climate change-change related training.