Abstract
Climate change is a global phenomenon that is affecting social and economic growth and widening inequality. There is a need to adapt to climate change, especially in African countries that are more vulnerable due to their reliance on agriculture and natural resources and their limited capacity to address their impacts. This study investigates climate change impacts on agriculture across Nigeria and spatially mapped farmers’ responses and adaptation strategies. The study employed a mean score (MS) rating scale to analyse primary data collected from 160 Nigerian farmers, which were plotted as adaptation suitability maps in a geographic information system. The main signal of climate change is erratic, unpredictable rainfall across Nigeria’s ecological zones, creating uncertainty in the planning of agricultural activities. Specifically, the other climate phenomena are most experienced in the different regions were: high temperature (MS = 3.6), flooding (MS = 3.6) and overflowing of rivers (MS = 3.3) in the mangrove region; early rains followed by dryness (MS = 3.8), erratic rainfall pattern (MS = 3.5) heavy and long period of rainfall (MS = 3.6), high temperature (MS = 3.6), flood/erosion (MS = 3.6) and increased pest infestation (MS = 3.3) in the rainforest region; heavy and prolonged period of rainfall (MS = 3.6), high temperature (MS = 3.8) and increased pest infestation in the derived savannah; early rain followed by weeks of dryness (MS = 3.3), high wind (MS = 3.4) and heat wave (MS = 3.4) in the guinea savannah region; early rain followed by weeks of dryness (MS = 3.5) and increased pest and diseases (MS = 3.3) in the montane/mid altitude region; early rain followed by weeks of dryness, erratic rainfall pattern, high temperature and heavy wind (MS = 3.3) each, in the Sudan savannah and drought (MS = 3.7). Responses to these climate shifts were numerous: crop rotation, agroforestry, mulching, the use of fertilizers and chemicals, erosion control, changing from crop production to other businesses, a change in the time of operation, mixed cropping, mixed farming, and the use of resistant varieties were predominantly used as climate change adaptation strategies. These findings call for targeted adaptation policies and planning to better inform farmers about effective location-specific strategies across Africa. There should therefore be conscious efforts by policymakers to invest in adaptation mechanisms, strengthen climate information services and early-warning platforms, expand financial incentives and risk-management instruments, and provide low-interest climate credit and conditional grants to support the adoption of climate-smart practices. Invest in hydro-agricultural infrastructure such as small-scale irrigation, water harvesting, and capacity-building, especially for rural youth and women, to enhance resilience.
