Factors Influencing Level of Adaptation to Climate Change among Vegetable Farmers in Bauchi Local Government Area, Bauchi State, Nigeria
Climate change poses significant threats to vegetable farming through erratic weather events, pests and resource scarcity prompting smallholder farmers to adopt adaptation strategies like crop diversification, adjusting planting dates and improved irrigation for resilience. This study assessed the factors influencing vegetable farmers level of adaptation to climate change in Bauchi metropolis, Bauchi State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used in selecting 50 vegetable farmers. Data were collected using structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed that most (96.0%) of the respondents reported noticing changes in the climate change and specifically, observed drought prevalence (66%), increased temperature (60%) and erratic rainfall (50%). Farmers reported that reduced income (80%), reduced yield (78.0%) and pest/disease infestations (72.0%) were the key effects of climate change on vegetable production. The level of adaptation among vegetable farmers was high (58.0%) with minimum tillage (72.0%), irrigation (70.0%) mulching (70.0%) and soil management practices (68.0%) as the adaptation strategies practiced. Effective adaptation strategies noted by the farmers include livestock manure management ( 3.26), soil management practice (( 3.24), use of early maturing varieties ( 3.20), and use of drought-resistant varieties ( 3.12) were the effective adaptation strategies. Age (P<0.1), farm size (P<0.1), sex (P<0.1) and household size (P<0.05) were the significant factors influencing level of adaptation to climate change. Inadequate knowledge (82.0%), inadequate resources (72.0%) and cultural sentiments (66.0%) were the major constraints to climate change adaptation. The study concluded that age, household size, farm size and sex significantly influenced farmer’s level of climate change adaptation to climate change. To improve vegetable farmers’ adaptation to climate change, efforts should focus on strengthening farmers’ knowledge through targeted training, addressing cultural and normative barriers with community-based awareness, and enhancing financial inclusion to access to productive resources.
KeyWords: Climate Change, Level of Adaptation, Vegetable Farmers and Bauchi State
