NEXUS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND FOOD SECURITY SITUATION IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: A CASE OF IRRIGATION FARMERS IN KATSINA, NIGERIA

Abstract

Climate change is a reality hitting hard on vulnerable communities resulting in adverse effects such as hunger and food insecurity. This study is prompted by the need to assess how communities of irrigation households survive climate change using adaptation strategies and how that affects their food security statuses. A sample of 200 respondents spread across two of the three agricultural zones of Katsina State were selected and interviewed using structured questionnaire. The data obtained were analysed using SPSS. The study found that the most important adaptation strategies employed by the respondents are: mixed cropping, changed sowing date and seed selection. It was also affirmed that there is an increasing prevalence of food insecurity in the study area with 78.5% of the respondents reporting various degrees of the phenomenon. The study concluded that, the more climate change adaptation strategies employed by a household, the higher its likelihood of being food secured (p<0.05). It was therefore, recommended that households combine more of the adaptation strategies for enhanced food security.