YAM FARMERS ADAPTATION STRATEGIES IN MITIGATING THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON YAM PRODUCTION IN PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined Yam Farmers Adaptation Strategies used in Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change on Yam Production in Plateau State, Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study were to describe the socio-economic characteristics of yam farmers’ sources of information on the effects of climate change adaptation strategies used by yam farmers in mitigating the effects of climate change and the constraints to yam farmers in the adaptation strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change in the study area. Multi-stage sampling techniques were employed in selecting 321 respondents. Primary data were obtained through the administration of structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistic. The findings revealed that majority (72.4% and 68.3%) of the respondents were male and married, with a mean age and household size of 43 years and 10 persons respectively.  In terms of education, 58.6% had formal education (primary, secondary or tertiary). The mean farming experience and farm size of 14 years and mean was 2.1ha. The findings further revealed that farmers relied heavily on informal information sources such as Personal experience ranked 1^st (96.8%), followed by markets (94.9%), fellow farmers (92.7%), and village/market meetings (89.2%). In addition, the results revealed that adaptation strategies used by the respondents were improved yam seed varieties (0.94), changing planting dates (0.90), planting cover crops (0.86), planting trees (0.84), and mulching (0.80). The constraints to the use of mitigating strategies included inefficiency of information sources with mean score of 2.8, high cost of irrigation facilities (2.8), high cost of inputs (2.8), inadequate drought-resistant varieties (2.8), inadequate extension services (2.7), and inadequate government support (2.7). The study concluded that yam farmers in the study area used improved yam seed varieties, changing planting dates, and mulching as an adaptation strategies to the effects of climate change on yam production in the study area. In view of the constraints highlighted the study recommended that socio-economic status of the yam farmers should be enhanced to enable them afford and adopt proven technologies that would mitigate climate change and Extension agents who are supposed to be in close contact with yam farmers should be trained on weather forecasts interpretation so as to disseminate the needed information to their contact farmers.