Rural farmers’ perception of climate variability in Benue State of Nigeria.

Abstract

Climate change and severe weather events such as temperature shocks and declining rainfall often strongly impede sustainable farming development, especially where agriculture is rain-fed and when other external shocks such as poverty, poor access to inputs and credit are common. This is the context in which rural farmers carry out their farming and other livelihood activities. This study compares rural farmers’ perception of temperature and rainfall with the result of 30 years (1980 – 2009) meteorological records of temperature and rainfall, examines the farmers adaptation practices in response to climate change and the constraints to their adaptation. The study found an increasing trend in minimum and maximum temperature as well as rainfall amount. This validates the farmers’ perception of temperature and rainfall. Bush burning and tree cutting were the perceived leading causes of climate change. Farmers mostly engaged in changing planting dates and change in house construction in response to climate change. Efforts that address poverty and provide access to agricultural support services like access to credit; farm inputs and weather forecasting service will help enhance farmers’ adaptive capacity to climate change. Farmers’ adaptive capacity could be enhanced through agricultural support services such as access to credit, farm inputs and weather forecasting.