CLIMATE CHANGE INFORMATION NEEDS OF RURAL FARMERS IN ENUGU STATE NIGERIA

Abstract

Adaptation is considered an appropriate response to climate change and variability, especially for rural farmers. However, the farmers’ ability to effectively respond to climate change challenges is determined by the quality of information available to the farmers and how easily the information is accessed. The study sought to assess the information needs of rural farmers on climate change. A total of I52 respondents were selected using multistage sampling technique. Percentages, mean scores, standard deviations, factor analysis and multiple linear regression model were used in data analysis and presentation. The findings show that all the respondents indicated awareness of climate change. However, the knowledge score used indicated that none of  the  respondents  had  high  knowledge  on  climate  change.  The  respondents’  major  and perceived reliable sources of knowledge were personal observations and friends. These information sources according to the findings were    useful especially on adaptation. The major areas of information needs of the farmers on adaptation were use of improved varieties, occupational diversification, use of weed tolerant varieties, change in timing of farm operations, use of herbicides and pesticides and incorporating residue into the soil. However the findings indicate that the following were the perceived major constraints to effective communication of climate change: poor communication linkage between scientists, extension agents and farmers, lack of proper enlightenment, lack of participatory approach to communication, poor use of local dialect in translation and communication of climate change information jargon to rural farmers, lack of communication facilities etc. The respondents’ perceived strategies that can be used for effective communication of climate change information were: use of vernacular through mass media   to   disseminate   climate   change   information,   use   of   participatory   approach   in communicating climate change information, incorporating the needs, perception and concern of the target audience and ensuring relevance of information to the target audience, ensuring reliability  of  information,  use  of  credible  experts  who  have  knowledge  of  vernacular,  and bridging  the  communication  gap  between  scientists,  extension  agents  and  farmers.  Other strategies include: use of local and religious leaders to disseminate climate change information, use of local languages (dialect) and folks, use of audio visual aids and provision of timely information, training of communicators of climate change information, strengthening agricultural extension  delivery system,  provision  of  communication  facilities  by  government  to  climate change communicators, and use of service providers to disseminate climate change information through short message service. The findings reveal that the following had significant influence on knowledge level (p≤0.05): years spent in formal education, membership of social/religious organization, number of climate change training, farm size, marital status, access to credit, and climate change training.

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

1.1 Background information.

The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007 considered data from climate observations across the world and concluded that the evidence for warming of the global climate is ‘unequivocal’. Climate change refers to any change in climate overtime, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity (IPCC, 2001).   Globally, climate change is considered as one of the serious threats to sustainable development, with adverse impacts expected on the environment, human health, food security and physical infrastructure (Africa- Wide Civil Society Climate Change Initiative for Policy Dialogues (ACCID), 2010).  Climate change affects all aspects of the climate, making rainfall less predictable, changing the character of the seasons, and increasing the likelihood or severity of extreme events such as floods.

Scientists agree that rising concentrations of human-produced greenhouse gases (GHG) in the earth’s atmosphere are the causes of climate change. For example, the increased industrialization  in  the  developed  nations  introduces  large  quantities  of  greenhouse  gases (GHGs), including carbon (IV) oxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) into the atmosphere. These GHGs are the primary causes of global warming (IPCC, 2007a).

The global increases in carbon (1V) oxide (CO2) concentration are due primarily to fossil fuel  use and  land  use  change,  while those of  methane (CH4) and  nitrous  oxide (N2O) are primarily  due  to  agriculture  (IPCC,  2007a).  Clearing  of  forests  for  agricultural  production replaces forests with crops thereby reducing the rate at which carbon sequestration (trapping and

absorbing carbon (IV) oxide gas) occurs.   Agriculture is therefore one of the main culprits of climate change, producing significant effects through the production and release of GHGs (Ozor and Nnaji, 2011).

There is no doubt that the earth is getting warmer and human beings are mainly to be blamed (Spore, 2008). According to Leggett (2008) continued population and economic growth, with dependence on fossil fuels and needs for expanding agricultural lands, are expected to drive GHG emissions and induce climate change over the 21st Century to levels never experienced in human civilization.

While benefits may accrue to some people who may experience a limited amount of climate change, the aggregate effects are expected to become increasingly adverse, with people living in dry regions or along low-lying coasts, and people with low incomes, expected to be especially vulnerable (Leggett, 2008). In other words, climate change is not an issue that only has implication for energy supply or environment; rather, it touches all the resources that we depend on in life. It puts extra burdens on the social and economic challenges that the poorest already face, emphasizing and increasing their vulnerabilities due to the dependence of their livelihoods on climate sensitive natural resources and their weak social protection.

The IPCC (2007a) describes Africa generally as “one of the most vulnerable continents to climate change and climate variability. Many parts of Africa in 2007 suffered severe drought while floods on the other hand destroyed roads and buildings and wiped out millions of hectares of farmlands in many parts of the continents (Spore, 2008). Local knowledge indicates that climate change impacts are leading to significant negative effects on livelihoods in Africa, particularly  among  subsistence  and  small-scale  agricultural  communities  (Simms,  2005;

Magrath, 2006). The group of people that bears much of the burden of these impacts is rural farmers, who practice rain-fed agriculture and hence depend on adequate rainfall for good crop yield. For instance, Kenya faces considerable negative impact to its economy due to the more variable and more severe climatic and weather patterns occurring due to climate change. These are already causing a range of effects on agriculture in Kenya.

On the other hand, Zambia, like many southern African nations, is facing increasing prolonged dry seasons and short periods of heavy rainfall, changes believed to be linked with climate change. With most of the country’s population reliant on small-scale farming for a living, the changes are forcing farmers to rethink the way they operate. In particular, many farmers are switching to harder crops – such as cassava rather than maize – to help ensure food security (Smith, 2011).

Similarly, Namibia is vulnerable to climate change because of its dry environment and frequent droughts and over-dependence on rain-fed agriculture.  Rural Namibians will be more affected by the effects of climate change because rain-fed agriculture is the main source of their livelihood. At the same time, recent research has indicated that the impact of climate change on Namibia’s natural resources could cost the country’s economy between 1 and 6 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product annually over the next 20 years (ACCID, 2010).

In Nigeria, as in numerous countries around the world, the poorest sections of the society are often disproportionately represented by women, young children and the elderly, and these groups will accordingly be most vulnerable to climate change (United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), 2007). For example, the women’s traditional role in the household, such as collecting water, is likely to be made more difficult through exacerbation of

water shortages as a result of dryer weather (as anticipated in the north east of Nigeria as a result of the ongoing drying of Lake Chad). Similarly, an increase in the frequency and severity of weather extremes in Nigeria, such as flood and heat wave (as anticipated to occur, for example, in southern regions of the country), will disproportionately affect young people who are most vulnerable due to their age and relative inability to care for themselves.

According to Okali (2004), Nigeria’s high vulnerability to climate change is due to a number of factors, as highlighted below:

1.      Its geographical characteristics: Nigeria lies between 4ºN and 14ºN, and between 3ºE and     15ºE and spans 6 major vegetation zones, reflecting the highly variable climate throughout the country. Its sub-Saharan location is one of the ‘hot spots’ of climate change likely to experience the most severe impacts due to the delicate nature of the existing ecosystems.

2.      There  is  limited  capacity  to  adapt  due  to  low  levels  of  awareness,  financial resources, and institutional and technological capability.

3.      Much of the economy is dependent on climate-sensitive resources. For example, the agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors employ up to 70% of the workforce (Library of Congress- Federal Research Division, 2008).

4.      A high population, general food insecurity issues and serious social tensions (in some  parts  of  the eastern  states  population  density is  over 1000ppl/km2  and rising).

5.      The  heavy  concentration  of  Gross  Domestic  Product  generating  industry  in locations (Lagos and the Niger Delta) that is highly vulnerable to climate change.

Hence, Nigeria’s hopes of becoming one of the world’s top twenty biggest economies by

2020 by strengthening the non-oil growth may be threatened by climate change. Particular threats are posed to Nigeria’s competitiveness in agriculture from changes to rainfall patterns in the Sahel resulting in increased desertification and flooding, to economic activity in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, which has recently been identified among the twenty one cities most likely to be affected by rising sea levels (Spurgeon, Wasilewski, Ikpi and Foster, 2009). Other threats include effects on power generation and distribution due to the effects of river levels on major dams, on transport infrastructure vital for trading, and possibly on oil and gas production and investment. The IPCC fourth assessment report explains that between 1961 and 2003, the average sea level rose by 1.8 ± 0.5 mm per year. While sea level rise varies between regions, Nigeria’s entire coastline has been affected by this observed rise (IPCC, 2007b). Such increase would lead to an increase in coastal erosion and exacerbated flooding damages.

In Enugu state, the most significant effects/impacts of climate change experienced by farmers are: soil erosion, lack of portable water for human consumption and livestock use, loss of vegetation/pastures,  intense weed  growth,  incidence of pests  and  diseases  distortion  and destruction of wildlife ecosystems, decrease in soil fertility and health related issues of climate change which can affect production, drudgery and stress from heat, etc (Ozor and Nnaji 2011). According to Enete, Madu, Mojekwu, Onyekuru, et. al.   (2011), the biggest effect of climate change in the state include reduced farm yield and income, drying up of streams/rivers, reduction in storage quality of crops, loss of pastureland/vegetation and destruction of wildlife ecosystem. This according to them is perhaps attributable to the fact that Enugu State has a drier weather; being closer to the North, and hence inherent insufficient rain water for maximum crop yield.

To effectively adapt to the vagaries of climate change, rural farmers need information on climate change; as information deficit, in itself, is a type of vulnerability as it is easy for the void to  be  filled  with  inaccurate  and  misleading  information.  Solomon  (2002)  asserted  that information need if effectively met will enable the user (farmer) to make an appropriate decision on any related problem (climate change) facing him or her. In other words, rural farmers are aided by the amount of information available to them about their felt needs in decision making process.

Problem statement

It is obvious that many rural farmers are aware that climate is changing through some observable changes in the weather pattern, environment and on their farms too. Changes they describe as prolonged bad weather, change of weather conditions, situation of volatile weather, short rainfall duration and prolonged dry season, thunderstorm and heavy rains, too much rain and too much sun, unpredictable change in the pattern of rainfall, unpredictable start and end of rains, unstable weather, and variation in rainfall pattern and sunshine intensity (Ozor, Madukwe, Onokala and Enete, et. al., 2010). However, it is not just enough to know that there are changes in the weather conditions; it is important to understand what these change are all about. Rural farmers may lack a precise and comprehensive understanding of climate change and this can lead to misconceptions and their inability to adapt to the changes. In other words, many of them may be incapacitated to face the future challenges if they are not adequately informed.

Besides that, many rural farmers may not know the causes of climate change for instance; some of their agricultural activities like bush burning, deforestation, urine and other droppings from their farm animals, and swamp rice production are some of the major causes of climate change. In other words, they may unintentionally contribute to the global threat of climate change. Some of them may equally be ignorant of the fact that urbanization; industrialization and burning of fossil fuels equally contribute to climate change.

As a result of ignorance too, many rural farmers misconceive and mix up the effects of climate change to some other factors that may arise as a result of their activities. For instance blocking of water ways can result to erosion and flooding. Erosion in this case may not be as a result of climate change but as a result of the farmers’ activities. Similarly, continuous cropping can  result  to  poor  yield  and  hence may not  be  as  a  result  of  climate  change.  But  due to misinformation, many of them may not differentiate between these problems and the ones caused by climate change.

Climate change challenges call for both mitigation and adaptation measures. Mitigation can be seen as the behavioural changes targeted to reduce GHG emissions, for example avoiding bush burning, deforestation and improved agricultural production practices. However rural farmers in Enugu state may not mitigate properly when they are ignorant of what causes climate change and why they should mitigate. They may adapt to cushion the effects of changes they observe, but the adaptation strategies may not be fully effective if the farmers are not adequately informed  of  what  climate  change  is,  the  causes  and  the  effects.  Only  when  farmers  can understand the negative effects of climate change and its impacts can they prepare for and adapt to them. While many farmers are already coping with varying climatic conditions, the weather is becoming less predictable, and some of their strategies may no longer work. To a significant degree therefore, the effectiveness with which the farmers adapt to climate change depends on how well it is understood by individual farmers. According to Ozor et al, (2010), the farmers’

ability to  effectively respond  to  climate change challenges  is  determined  by the quality of information available to them and how easily they access the information.  In other words, adequate climate change information availability and accessibility is important in farmers’ adaptation decision making process. Consequently, it is of essence to provide answers to the following questions.

What do rural farmers in Enugu state know about climate change? What are their perceived causes, effects, mitigation and adaptation strategies? Where do they get their climate change related information from? What information do they need on climate change? What factors militate against effective communication of information on climate change? What are the possible strategies for improving information dissemination on climate change? It is based on these research questions that the following objectives of the study were drawn.

Purpose of the study

The general purpose of the study was to identify climate change information needs of rural farmers in Enugu state. Specifically, the study is designed to:

1.      ascertain  the knowledge  level  of rural  farmers  on  agriculture-related  climate change issues;

2.      ascertain farmers sources of information on climate change;

3.      determine farmers’ perceived reliability and usefulness of climate change information received ;

4.       identify types of climate change information needed by the farmers;

5.      identify   factors   militating   against   effective   communication   of   climate   change information; and

6.      find  out  the  possible  strategies  for  improving  information  dissemination  on  climate change to rural farmers.

1.4. Hypothesis of the study:

The socio economic and institutional characteristics of rural farmers have no significant influence on their knowledge level on agriculture related climate change issues.

1.5. Significance of the study

It is very obvious that climate change is real and one of the main causes has been attributed to anthropogenic (human) activities which include among others deforestation for agricultural and other human related purposes. Unfortunately, the rural farmers who engage in this activity are the most vulnerable.

It is hoped that the findings of this study will help to bridge the gap between what the farmers  know  and  what  they  need  to  know  about  climate  change  which  can  then  help  to accelerate the adoption of appropriate cost effective mitigation and adaptation practices which drastically minimize their vulnerability and increase their output, income and overall well being. This can equally bring about the needed collaboration between the climate change information sources, trained extension agents and the farmers in order to bridge the information gap of rural farmers on climate change in Enugu state.

The result of the study will equally be of help to the agencies (research/metrological centres, NGOs, ADPs particularly extension agents etc) responsible for disseminating climate change information to rural farmers. It will help them to know what the farmers understand and the information need to be targeted to them on climate change. It can help in knowing what the farmers already know and how it differs from what they need to know in order to make effective decision. This is because if the right information (which should start from what the farmers know) is not targeted to the rural farmers, the desired result may not be achieved. The findings of this study will equally add to knowledge on information needs of rural farmers on climate change.

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