Analysis of Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Among Smallholder Arable Crop Farmers in Umuahia South L.G.A., Abia State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study analyzed climate change adaptation strategies among smallholder arable crop farmers in Umuahia South L.G.A, Abia State. Specifically, it examined the socioeconomic characteristics of the farmers, identified their adaptation strategies, assessed their productivity levels, estimated the determinants of productivity, and identified constraints to arable crop production. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 80 respondents, and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Total Factor Productivity (TFP), and multiple regression models. Results showed that respondents had mean age of 46 years, mostly male (60%) and greater percentage of them (57.5%) were married. About 27.50% of them had secondary education with mean household size of 4 persons. The farmers had small farm size ranging from 1–2 ha, and over 10 years of farming experience. Major adaptation strategies included use of improved crop varieties (mean = 3.12), changing planting dates (3.07), and mulching (3.02). About 75% of the farmers had low productivity (TFP between 0.1–0.5), with a mean TFP of 0.48. Productivity was positively influenced by farm size, education, income, experience, and cooperative membership in the multiple regression analysis. Key constraints to arable crop farming included high input cost (mean = 3.78), erratic weather (3.66), pest and disease outbreaks (3.61), and poor access to improved varieties (3.48), with a grand mean of 3.40. Due to high input costs and erratic weather that were observed as critical constraints, it is recommended that investment in climate-resilient practices and input price stabilization be implemented to enhance sustainable arable crop production.