RURAL FARMERS’ PERCEPTION OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN CENTRAL AGRICULTURAL ZONE OF DELTA STATE, NIGERIA

Farmer perception of their environment is a factor of climate change. Adaptation to climate change requires farmers to realize that the climate has changed and they must identify useful adaptations and implement them. This study analyzed the per-ception of climate change among rural farmers in central agri-cultural zone of Delta State, Nigeria. Climate change studies often assume certain adaptations and minimal examination of how, when, why, and conditions under which adaptations usually take place in any economic and social systems. The study was conducted by survey method on 131 respondents using struc-tured interview schedule and questionnaire. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and linear regression model to test that education, gender, and farming experience influenced farmers’ perception of climate change. The results showed that the farmers were aware of climate change. The identified causes of climate change were ranging from intensified agriculture, population explosion, increased use of fossil fuel, loss of in-digenous know practice to gas flaring. The effects of climate change on crops and livestocks were also identified by the rural farmers. Many of the farmers adapted to climate change by planting trees, carrying out soil conservation practice, changing planting dates, using different crop varieties, installing fans in livestock pens, and applying irrigation. Almost half of them did not adapt to climate change. The linear regression analysis revealed that education, gender, and farming experience influ-enced farmers’ perception of climate change. The major barriers to adaptation to climate change included lack of information, lack of money, and inadequate land

Post-Retirement Engagement Plan Among Oil Company Workers in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria: Is there Interest in Agricultural Investment?

Workers including oil company workers are advised to plan for their exit from their employing firms or establishments to avoid been driven below poverty line after retirement There is also advocacy for people to invest in agriculture by state and federal governments This study therefore examined the level of interest in agricultural investment among oil company workers in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria in their post-retirement engagement plans From among the workers in the oil companies operating in the study area 232 respondents were selected and data were elicited from them with the use of questionnaire The data were treated with the application of descriptive statistics and Pearson s Product Moment Correlation PPMC analysis The level of interest in agricultural investment among the oil company workers is low 31 03 just as most of them had 11-15 years left to be in service and most 68 53 of them planned to remain in urban settlements after retirement Those who planned to engage in farming gave reasons such as interest ready market contacts with farmers and extension agents state of world oil market and government advocacy as the propelling factors Their level of preparedness was influenced inversely by the number of years they had left to be in service r 0 886 It is recommended that extension agencies should organize training programmes for them at intervals to enhance their entrepreneurial and technical skills in agriculture This set of people should be made opinion leaders on getting back to their villages Other workers who had not indicated interest in agricultural investment after retirement should be persuaded to develop interest in agricultur

RURAL FARMERS’ PERCEPTION OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN CENTRAL AGRICULTURAL ZONE OF DELTA STATE, NIGERIA

Farmer perception of their environment is a factor of climate change. Adaptation to climate change requires farmers to realize that the climate has changed and they must identify useful adaptations and implement them. This study analyzed the per-ception of climate change among rural farmers in central agri-cultural zone of Delta State, Nigeria. Climate change studies often assume certain adaptations and minimal examination of how, when, why, and conditions under which adaptations usually take place in any economic and social systems. The study was conducted by survey method on 131 respondents using struc-tured interview schedule and questionnaire. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and linear regression model to test that education, gender, and farming experience influenced farmers’ perception of climate change. The results showed that the farmers were aware of climate change. The identified causes of climate change were ranging from intensified agriculture, population explosion, increased use of fossil fuel, loss of in-digenous know practice to gas flaring. The effects of climate change on crops and livestocks were also identified by the rural farmers. Many of the farmers adapted to climate change by planting trees, carrying out soil conservation practice, changing planting dates, using different crop varieties, installing fans in livestock pens, and applying irrigation. Almost half of them did not adapt to climate change. The linear regression analysis revealed that education, gender, and farming experience influ-enced farmers’ perception of climate change. The major barriers to adaptation to climate change included lack of information, lack of money, and inadequate land.<br /

Influence of agricultural child labour experience on students’ decision to study agriculture in Delta State, Nigeria

This study investigated the effect of child labour experience in agriculture on the decision of students to study agriculture in tertiary institutions in Delta State, Nigeria. Delta State University and Delta State Polytechnic students of agriculture were purposively selected for the study. Random selection of students was done in each agriculture area of specialization in the tertiary institutions based on 10% of the population to result to a sample size of 151 students. Data for the study were elicited with the use of questionnaire and were analyzed with the application of descriptive statistics and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMC). Most (52.98%) of the student were males. The students were mainly (96.02%) in the age bracket of 20-29 years. Most (76.16%) of the student had 6-10years of working experience in their childhood years in either family or others farms as many (64.90%) were residents in rural settlements, where majority (64.24%) of them did not witness extension agents’ visit to their farms. The involvement index of the children in poultry farming was 0.48; in arable crop production, 0.60; in fish farming, 0.20 and in plantation agriculture, 0.12. Some of them experienced hard labour (47.68%); no remuneration (no pay) (51.66%) and injuries (54.97%). Only 6.62% of them originally sought for admission to study agriculture. The reasons given by those who originally applied to read agriculture for doing so ranged from self employment, interest, lucrative nature of agriculture and familiarity with farming activities. Their involvement in agricultural child labour positively influenced their decision to study agriculture. It is therefore recommended that extension agents should interact with farm families in order to encourage the children on agriculture; farmers should be encouraged to simply mechanize their farming activities; farm families should be encouraged to give their children only non-hazardous activities to carry out; the children should only be involved in farming activities during the holidays in order not to compromise their schooling; and government should institute a concerted policy that will make the study of agriculture interesting to youths such as, graduates of agriculture should be placed on higher salary than others at the inception of their employment and the number of years spent in the university to study agriculture and related courses should be reduced to four. Keywords: Insecurity, Shocks, Farmers, Resilience, Niger Delta

Rural Dwellers’ Perception of Human Trafficking and its Implication for Agricultural Production in Edo State, Nigeria

This study was carried out to ascertain the perception of rural dwellers on human trafficking in relation to its effect on agricultural production in the three Senatorial Districts of Edo State, Nigeria. A sample size of 120 household heads was used for the study. Structured questionnaire and interview schedule were used to collect data for the study. The data were analyzed using frequency counts, means and percentage while Chi-Square statistical model and Tobit regression analytical model were used to test the hypotheses. It was discovered that the household members were trafficked as a result of push and pull factors. The trafficked members of household were actively involved in farming practices before being trafficked. There is significant relationship between human trafficking and agriculture production. Shortage of farm labor, decreased farm size, reduced farm income, reduced farm output, extra expenditure on hired labor and storage of food supply by the community were perceived as effect of human trafficking on agriculture. Age of the household head and the household size had significant effect on the number of household member trafficked. Human trafficking has an adverse effect on agricultural production. Extension department should therefore integrate anti-human trafficking campaigns with their services to the farming population

A TOBIT ANALYSIS OF PROPENSITY TO ADOPT SOIL CONSERVATION PRACTICES AMONG ARABLE CROP FARMERS IN DELTA STATE, NIGERIA

This study determined the propensity of arable crops farmers to adopt soil conservation practices. A total of 150 farmers were systemically selected from 6 local government areas in Delta State Data were collected from the respondents using interview schedule and questionnaire. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Results show that majority of the respondents were women. Most of the respondents (62%) were in the age bracket of 30-50 years. Most of them had one form of formal education or the other with average household size of 3 persons and average farm size of 1.5 hectare. Most (65.3%) of the contact farmers were visited fortnightly. All the farmers were engaged in the use of soil conservation practices, however, there is generally low propensity to adopt such practices among the respondents. Marital status, educational level, household size, farm size, farming experience and extension visit had significant relationship with propensity of farmers to adopt soil conservation practices. It was therefore recommended that there is need to increase extension-farmer contact, trained and recruit more extension agents, encourage farmer-farmer extension and encourage group visit with farmers

Effect of partial replacement of growers mash with gliricidia sepium leaf meal on the growth of chinchilla rabbits and its implication for extension advisory services.

This study was designed to determine the effect of partial replacement of growers mash with Gliricidia sepium leaf meal (GLM) on the growth of chinchilla rabbits and to determine its implication for extension advisory services. In this study, 10 eight weeks old Chinchilla rabbits were used. They were randomly allotted to three experimental units labeled groups A, B, and C respectively. Parameters measured were body length, body weight, height at the shoulders, average ear length (left and right) and feed intake. The rabbits were subjected to various levels of growers mash replacement with GLM, in the following ratios: 20:80, 60:40 and 100:0 respectively. The differences in growth were subjected to a one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc test. The experiment lasted eight weeks. There were significant differences in the parameters measured in the three experimental diets. The rabbits fed diets in which supplementation with GLM was in the ratio of 20:80(Diet 1) showed a higher significant growth than those fed solely on growers mash. Results also indicated that it is cheaper to raise weaned rabbits on Diet 1 with a ratio of 20:80, than solely on Guinea feed