Indigenous and Emerging Adaptive Agricultural Technologies to Climate Change in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Abstract

The study ascertained indigenous and emerging adaptive agricultural technologies to climate change in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Data were collected from 400 respondents through the use of semi structured interview schedule using a multi stage random sampling technique. The collected data were analyzed using percentages, mean score, and factor analysis. The findings revealed that majority (89.8%) of the respondents were aware of climate change though only 9.0% of them knew of climate change to a great extent; it was found that majority (94.8%) of the respondents had knowledge of climate change effects on their farming activities. The findings also showed that respondents sourced information on climate change from radio/television (61.0%), newspaper (44.0%) and friends (43.8%). The major perceived causes of climate change by the respondents were burning of fossil fuel (M=4.19), gas flaring from oil companies (M =4.03), high temperature due to ozone layer depletion (M =3.99) and gases released from industries (M =3.92). The result also showed that bush burning, cutting down of trees, cooking with firewood, crude oil spillage further causes of climate change. The major perceived effects of climate change on farming activities included: low rainfall intensity (M =3.34), late onset of rains (M = 3.36), heat from high temperature (M =3.29), high rate of weed growth (M =3.00), poor crop yield (M =2.98), and decrease in soil moisture (M =2.95). Findings further showed that about 24% of the respondents had contact with extension workers in the last one year. The mean distribution on available extension activities on climate change revealed that there were limited activities on climate change issues in the study area. It was further revealed that organic manure (72.0%), cover cropping (71.8%), minimum/zero tillage (57.2%), mixed farming practices (77.2%), mulching (64.5%), increased frequency of weeding cropped land (67.5%), use of inorganic manure (74.2%), use of crop varieties that are well acclimated to adverse climate (45.0%), use of chemicals like herbicides and insecticides (53.8%), use of early maturing crop variety (57.5%), change of planting dates (51.2%) were the adaptive technologies been used by farmers in adapting to negative effects of climate change. Constraints to climate change adaptation included: lack of relevant information (M =4.18), low awareness level (M =3.91), irregularities of extension services with regard to climate change adaptation (M =3.88), poor government attention to climate problems (M =3.88) and inability to access available information (M =3.78). Factor analysis further grouped the constraints to adaptation into 3 factors: institutional problems, government failures and resistance to change. Findings further revealed that majority (66.8%) of the respondents were aware of the ban on indiscriminate tree felling, 64.2% were aware of ban on indiscriminate bush burning, while (58.2%) knew of promotion on afforestation as governments policies/programmes on climate change mitigation. About 42% of the respondents perceived the ban on indiscriminate tree felling as being well implemented. Further findings revealed that only 24% of the respondents in the study were aware of the existence of climate change committees in the National Assembly. The study concluded that there is need to improve access to extension and provide farm inputs that are relevant to ensure that farmers have information relevant for making informed decisions. There is need also to provide effective and reliable access to information on climate change in order to dissuade the minds of farmers from spiritual angle and bring to reality the need to put hands together in the bid to salvage agricultural production.