Farmers perceptions of climate change related events in Shendam and Riyom, Nigeria

Goyol, S; Pathirage, C

Abstract

Although agriculture in Nigeria is the major source of income for about 70% of the active
population, the impact of agrarian infrastructure on boosting productivity and supporting livelihoods
has increased. Climate change and the increasing trend of climate-related events in Nigeria challenge
both the stability of agrarian infrastructure and livelihood systems. Based on case studies of two local
communities in Plateau state in Nigeria, this paper utilizes a range of perceptions to examine the
impacts of climate-related events on agrarian infrastructures and how agrarian livelihood systems are,
in turn, affected. Data are obtained from a questionnaire survey (n = 175 farmers) and semi-structured
interviews (n = 14 key informants). The study identifies local indicators of climate change, high risks
climate events and the components of agrarian infrastructures that are at risk from climate events.
Findings reveal that, changes in rainfall and temperature patterns increase the probability of floods
and droughts. They also reveal that, although locational differences account for the high impact of
floods on road transport systems and droughts on irrigation infrastructures, both have a chain of
negative effects on agricultural activities, economic activities and livelihood systems. A binomial
logistic regression model is used to predict the perceived impact levels of floods and droughts, while
an in-depth analysis is utilized to corroborate the quantitative results. The paper further stresses
the need to strengthen the institutional capacity for risk reduction through the provision of resilient
infrastructures, as the poor conditions of agrarian infrastructure were identified as dominant factors
on the high impact levels.

Citation

Goyol, S., & Pathirage, C. (2018). Farmers perceptions of climate change related events in Shendam and Riyom, Nigeria. Economies, 6(4), 70. https://doi.org/10.3390/economies6040070

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 14, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Dec 19, 2018
• Publication Date: Dec 19, 2018
• Deposit Date: Dec 21, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 21, 2018
• Journal: Economies
• Publisher: MDPI
• Volume: 6
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 70
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/economies6040070
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/economies6040070
• Related Public URLs: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/economies