Assessing the Vulnerability and Adaptive Capacity of Rural Farmers to Climate Change in Girei Local Government Area, Adamawa State, Nigeria

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) climate change. Only one was moderately vulnerable (0.58). Exposure to climate vagaries was discovered to make farmers most vulnerability 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 the rural farmers needed to be provided with available farm inputs and access to credit facilities to enable them cushion the impacts of climate change. Adequate infrastructures and institutions good roads, power supply, healthcare and veterinary services should also be made available to them.