Constraints to Farmers’ Choice of Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in Ondo State of Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria being dependent on rain-fed agriculture and with low level of socioeconomic development is highly affected and vulnerable to climate change. It is crucial for farmers to adapt to the never ending climate change. However, there are constraints to adaptation strategies used by the farmers. This study therefore identified some of the constraints to the farmers’ choice of climate change adaptation strategies in Ondo State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure was used in selecting one hundred and sixty respondents for the study. Data collected with a well-structured interview schedule were analyzed using frequency, percentage, and mean statistic, while Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test hypothesis. Crops competing for nutrient, inadequate access to climate information, inadequate finance, scarcity of labor, and inadequate farm input supplies were among the major constraints to choice of climate change adaptation strategies used by the respondents. The study recommended that weather forecast information should be published and made available to the farmers through agricultural extension agents. Training on how to improve mixed cropping technique and avoid vulnerability should be pursued.