Development of Farmers' Learning Programme for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Cross River State, Nigeria.

Abstract

Absence of a farmer learning programme on climate change mitigation and adaptation in Cross River states is responsible for farmers’ low or non-usage of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies with its attendant grievous impact on agricultural resources and production; farmers’ health, comfort and survival. To this end, this study was designed to develop a farmer learning programme for climate change mitigation and adaptation in Cross River State. Seven research questions were answered while five related null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The Research and Development design was adopted for the study. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to randomly select 36 lead farmers representing 36 registered farmer groups out of a total of 367 registered farmer groups for participation in the first phase of the study. A total of 209 respondents comprising of 120 Agricultural extension agents, 60 Agricultural Education lectures and 29 Agricultural extension lecturers participated in the second phase of the study. A focus group discussion guide was used for data collection in phase one of the study while a structured questionnaire containing 115 items was used to generate data in phase two of the study. Both instruments were face validated by five experts while the reliability coefficient of the questionnaire was 0.97 using the Cronbach Alpha reliability method. Data generated through FGD were analyzed qualitatively while the Statistical Package for Social Science software was employed for the analysis of quantitative data. Mean and standard deviation were used to analyse data to answer research question while analysis of variance and Z-test were used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that famers have been experiencing effects of climate change to the extent that they were willing to learn how to abate it. Also emerging from the study are eight objective statements, 20 content to enhance mitigation, 10 content to encourage adaptation, 30 methods of delivering farmer learning programme on climate change mitigation and adaptation, 19 incentives to encourage participation and 27 strategies to evaluate the said programme. The test of hypotheses showed no significant difference in the mean responses of all the groups of respondents in the variable used. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among other things that; farmers should be involved in planning agricultural extension programme objective; methods and strategies of delivering and evaluating the programme respectively should principally be determine by programme objectives and other prevailing situations; government and NGOs should make budgetary provision for incentives to encourage participation, procurement of instructional resources and regular retraining of extension personnel. Importantly, the above findings were used to develop a draft farmer learning programme in phase three and the said draft was validated in phase four by a seven member panel of experts purposively constituted. Finally, validates inputs were used in phase five to revise the draft farmer learning programme for climate change mitigation and adaptation in Cross River State.