Adaptation to climate change effects among rural women in savannah and forest zones of Oyo state, Nigeria

Abstract

The study assessed adaptation strategies to climate change effects among rural women in savannah and forest zones of Oyo State, Nigeria. A total of 117 rural women were randomly selected from the two randomly selected LGAs in the state. Data were collected through a structured interview schedule. A higher percentage in the savannah (88.2 %) than the forest (67.8 %) was in their active years (20-50 years). About 41 % (savannah) and 32 % (forest) had no formal education. Awareness of climate change was high (78.7 % and 69.6 %, respectively), while farming-related activities were the main livelihood. Also, 93 % admitted that climate change had a severe influence on their livelihoods through reduction in the amount of rainfall on their farmland. Respondents adopted different strategies such as multiple cropping, crop rotation, changing planting periods, storage of water for future use, and diversifying into other areas of livelihood to adapt to climate change effects. However, there was also a significant difference in the influence of climate change (t = 4.605, p = 0.000) and adaptation strategies (t = 6.637, p = 0.000) between the women in the two ecological zones. Adequate funding and locality-specific climate change-related information on adaptation strategies are recommended to be made available across the two ecological zones of the state.