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Pg 141-150
Assessing the Vulnerability and Adaptive Capacity of Rural Farmers to Climate Change in Girei Local Government Area, Adamawa State, Nigeria
1Ambrose A. Z. and *2Mohammed B. Y. 1Department of Geography, Modibbo Adama University of Technology, PMB 2076, Yola 2Department of Geography, Taraba State University, PMB 1067, Jalingo *Corresponding author: mbyusuf36@yahoo.com
Abstract
This study was formulated to evaluate the climatic characteristics and to determine rural farmers' vulnerability and adaptive capacity to climate change in Girei Local Government Area. Forty-one years records of temperature and rainfall of the growing season were used for the study. Additionally, farmers' responses regarding their vulnerability and adaptive capacity to climate change were obtained through questionnaire administration. The use of Functional relationship as well as vulnerability and adaptive capacity indices analysis were employed in analyzing the data. Results show that majority of the rural communities studied (six out of seven) were found to be highly vulnerable (with indices ranging from 0.63 to 0.83) to climate change. Only one was moderately vulnerable (0.58). Exposure to climate vagaries was discovered to make farmers most vulnerable to climate change, followed by their adaptive capacity and then their sensitivity to environmental hazards social violence. All the communities were found to possess moderate capacity to cope with climate change effects. This is owing to their wealth accumulation, access to farm inputs, irrigation potentials, literacy level and infrastructural and institutional availability. It was recommended that government should intensify efforts in providing credit facilities to the farmers to enable them cushion the impacts of climate change. Adequate infrastructures such as good roads, power supply, healthcare and veterinary services should also be made available to them.
Key words: Climate, Climate Change, vulnerability, adaptive capacity, Girei
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