Assessment of the Effects of Climate Change Mitigation Practices Among Arable Crop Farmers in Ideato North Local Government Area, Imo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study assessed the effects of climate change mitigation practices among arable crop farmers in Ideato North LGA, Imo State, Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study were to identify the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents; ascertain the adaptive and mitigating measures used by farmers; ascertain the perceived effect of climate change. Purposive and multi-staged random sampling techniques were used to select a sample size of 64 respondents who are involved in arable crop production and affected by climate change. Data were collected with a structured questionnaire, and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics (tobith regression analysis). Results show that majority of the respondents were female, over 50% of the farmers were married, majority of the farmers acquired primary education. The result revealed that regular weeding X=4.57, use of water channels X=4.45, use of organic manure X=4.46 were the major adaptive measures used. In the perceived effects, the result revealed that destruction of wild life X=4.56, drying of streams early X=4.44 affected the farmers. The tobith regression estimate of the influence of socioeconomic characteristics of the knowledge of climate change, the chi-square value of 6.48.464 confirms the fitness and it is statistically significant at 1% level which affirms the significant relation of the dependent and independent variable. For socio-economic of climate change adaptive mitigation, the chi-square value of 807.945 confirms the fitness and significant at 1% level and the variables are positively related. The study therefore concludes that the famers were conversant with adaptive mitigation of the climate change and thereby has derived means to cope with the climate change. The study therefore recommend that efforts should be shown by governments, NGOs, individuals to acquaint and educate famers on how they will cope more on the climate change related issue.