The effect of climate change on agricultural activities in selected settlements in the Sudano-Sahelian Region of Nigeria

摘要

Climate change is a global crisis, latest estimate by the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change [1] shows that a business as usual scenario will lead to an increase in global mean temperature of about 10C above the present value by the year 2025 and 30C before the end of the next century. The debate on climate change has been generating a lot of interest at both the national, regional and international level. Often a times, more emphasis/ focus is placed on the industrialist, the politicians, bureaucrats, and the list goes on… with little and a times passive attention given to the farmer (rural /dwellers) whose cumulative actions can either directly or indirectly make such policies to succeed or fail. The Sudano-Sahelian region of Nigeria is roughly located on longitude 30 and 150 East and latitude 100 and 140 North. The zone is characterized by persistent drought, wet and dry spells [3], declining rainfall intensities and increasing the dry season [4 & 5] summarized all these anomalies and confirms that there has been climate change in rainfall regions in the area. The anticipated effects of climate changes on agriculture is what this study attempts to understand. The paper examines the effects of climate change on agriculture (crop production), the coping strategy been adopted and the level of its intensity. This in turn would aid the policy makers and Non-governmental Organization to articulate the plight of the local/rural dwellers in the Sudano-Sahelian region and perhaps bring succor to them. The Settlements that were chosen are Kalalawa village (Long 5.0241 and lat 13.2101) in Kware Local Government Area (LGA) of Sokoto state; Zangon Buhari (long 8.5501 and lat 11.6631) in Bunkure LGA of Kano state; and Chingowa (long 12.8881 and lat 12.5371) in Magumeri LGA of Borno state. Tools used for the generation of field data were questionnaire and focus group discussion (FGD), descriptive and inferential statistical technique were employed in the analysis of the data. The findings reveal that millet, sorghum, and beans appear to be the staple food crop, which significantly vary within the region. Most of the farm plots are owned by the farmers. Rainfall both in terms of intensity and duration has been on a decline, while temperature conditions have been on the increased. Among some the effects are decline in crop yield which has attracted the application of fertilizer, drying of water sources, abandoning of farmlands, and migration. The recommendations are improve farming systems/practices, planting of trees, sinking of boreholes/ water facilities, Government assistance, and prayers to God are the only way forward.