Adaptive Capacity of IFAD-Value Chain Development Programme Farmers to Climate Change Risks in North Central Nigeria

The study examined the level of adaptive capacity of International Fund for Agricultural Development-Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD-VCDP) farmers to climate change in North Central Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed in the selection of respondents. A total of 483 respondents were selected for this study. Adaptive capacity index in addition to descriptive statistics were the analytical tools engaged in this study. The study revealed that the beneficiaries of programme in Benue State focused more on the household level adaptation strategies, while the beneficiaries in Niger State focused more on the farm level adaptation strategies. Meanwhile, the farmers employed both farm and household level adaptation strategies so as to reduce the impact of climate change on their welfare. An average respondent in Benue State is moderately adaptive to the strategies used with average adaptive capacity value of 0.55, while an average respondent in Niger State is highly adaptive to the strategies used with average adaptive capacity value of 0.68. A typical respondent in the study area is a moderate adapter with average adaptive capacity of 0.62. Educational systems that encourages skills acquisition seems to make more impact on adaptive capacity than those that are purely theoretical. It was therefore recommended that government and NGOs should assist in increasing the adaptive capacity of the farmers by conducting educational campaign and training on climate change and adaptation techniques, making reliable climate and weather information accessible to all farmers, climate change should be mainstreamed in all agricultural institutions and organizations, and also need for integration and collaboration between several government and non-governmental organizations involved in climate change adaptation for the usefulness of the recipient farmer at the local level

Adaptive Capacity of Rural Women and their Potentials for Participating in Poverty Alleviation Programmes in Niger State, Nigeria

The study investigated the level and determinants of adaptive capacity among rural women Niger state. A Multistage random sampling technique was used to select 100 Women from three (3) peri-urban villages (Maikunkele, Bosso and Chanchaga) purposively selected based on the prevalence of poverty alleviation programmes as well as proximity to the State Capital and Federal University of Technology, Minna. The Primary data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics, adaptive capacity and beta regression. The results revealed that the level of participation in the various PAPs was very low except in the case of National Health Insurance Scheme. Moreover, less than 10% of the women possess adequate capacity to participate in the PAPs. It was also observed that most of the factors either alone or in interaction with others tend to suppress the adaptive capacity of the women to participate in the PAPs. It was further noted that most of the respondents have not acquired beyond secondary education haven spent about 8 years in formal education, although completing College of Education was found to increase adaptive capacity by about 5%. The most serious constraint against full participation in the PAPs is lack of awareness of the programmes. There is need to integrate awareness and education in the programme document of any PAP in order to raise the level of participation above what is reported in this study

Factor Path of Constraints to Adaptive Capacity on Climate Change among IFAD-VCDP Farmers in North Central Nigeria

Aim: Adaptive capacity is the ability of the farmer to adjust his farm plans and programmes in the face of emerging risks, constraints and currently available information. In this study, the various constraints faced by International Fund for Agricultural Development-Value Chain Development Programme’s farmers (IFAD-VCDP) in North Central Nigeria in adapting to climate change challenges were investigated. Study Design: A multi-stage sampling technique was employed in the selection of respondents. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Benue and Niger States of Nigeria in 2018. Methodology: Data were collected from a total of 483 respondents using interview schedule and questionnaire. The data were analysed using exploratory (principal component analysis) and confirmatory (structural equation modelling) factor analysis. Results: The results of the analysis revealed the significant constraints the farmers faced in order to improve their adaptive capacity to climate change which were institutional and technical (49.45%) and climate information (26.62%) constraints, although the factors differ slightly within the two states under study. In Benue State, institutional (31.26%), personal (14.63%), land and farm inputs (12.54%) and population (11.73%) while in Niger State, public and institutional (22.34%), land and farm inputs (14.78%), and personal (10.75) were the constraints to adaptive capacity. Conclusion: These constraints make it harder to plan and implement adaptation actions by restricting the variety and effectiveness of options available to the farmers to improve their productivity and cope with the vagaries of climate change. It was therefore recommended that government and NGOs should intensify efforts on public, institutional, educational and climate policies, assist in increasing the adaptive capacity of the farmers in order to employ more adaptation measures, land governance systems should be strengthened in Nigeria to provide tenure security for all, financial institutions should help facilitate access to credit by farmers and assist in making reliable climate information accessible to all farmers

LEVELS AND DRIVERS OF VULNERABILITY TO CLIMATE CHANGE BY IFAD-VCDP FARMERS IN NORTH CENTRAL NIGERIA

Although a number of studies have been carried out on climate change but the levels of vulnerability of farmers and factors affecting vulnerability of the farmers to this topical issue have not been sufficiently determined in the study area, giving rise to this study. The study was conducted in Benue and Niger States involving 483 IFAD-VCDP farmers. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed, however only 96.6% were completed and returned. As such the data analysis was based on 483 farmers under International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) – Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) from 10 participating Local Government of the two States. Both primary and secondary data were utilized for this study. The primary data were collected via questionnaire administered by trained enumerators, while the secondary data were collected from Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET). The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, vulnerability index and Beta regression model. The farmers were aware of eighteen climate change variables with assorted levels of occurrences. There was moderate vulnerable to climate change in the study area necessitating the need of enhanced awareness and capacity building to upgrade their home-grown adaptation strategies. Poverty status (3.0) was found to increase vulnerability while adaptive capacity (-23.8), age (-0.1), education (-0.7), gender (-2.8), distance to market (-0.1), livestock ownership (-0.4), social amenities (-1.9), total livelihood activities (-2.4) and membership of association (-3.8) decreased vulnerability by the percentages indicated in parenthesis. The study therefore recommended that the level of literacy among farm households and availability of social amenities should be critical issues when formulating climate adaptation policies and developmental issues. Government and NGOs should install processes that can enhance the adaptive capacity of the farmers