A recent study has revealed that rural farmers in the Ibarapa area of Oyo State are grappling with the adverse effects of climate change, including poor crop yields, loss of livestock, and environmental degradation.
Mr Olalekan Fatoki, a research scientist at the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), disclosed this in an interview with Tribune Online at the 31st Annual Southwest Zonal Workshop of the Research Extension Farmers Input System (REFILS) at the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training in Ibadan.
According to him, the study examined factors influencing rural households’ adaptation to climate change, their perception of its effects, and the strategies adopted to cope with the challenges.
“A total of 120 questionnaires were administered to household heads, out of which 118 were analysed,” he said.
The findings showed that farmers identified poor crop yield as the most significant impact of climate change, followed by loss of livestock, environmental degradation, and psychological distress.
Fatoki noted that several socioeconomic factors, including access to weather information, credit facilities, farming experience, and household size, played a role in farmers’ ability to adapt to climate change.
He said the major barriers to adaptation included unpredictable weather patterns, high costs of farm inputs, inadequate access to water during the dry season, and limited availability of timely weather information.
“To mitigate these challenges, the government needs to provide farmers with timely weather information through the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet),” he said.
He also called for the provision of irrigation facilities in the area to enable year-round farming and improved food security.
“The findings emphasise the need for targeted interventions to help rural farmers cope with climate change and ensure sustainable agricultural production,” Fatoki added.
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