CAPACITY FOR AGRICULTURAL ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN UNIVERSITY FACULTIES OF AGRICULTURE IN SOUTH-EAST NIGERIA

Abstract

Adaptation to Climate Change (CC) is the adjustment in natural or human system in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects. To cushion and curb the devastating impacts of CC in South East Nigeria, there is great need to build resilience and capacities of institutions towards more lasting and far reaching approach to CC adaptation. With the phenomenon of CC becoming so alarming, building adaptive capacity, including providing tools and information, raising awareness of adaptation options, educating key professionals about CC and investing in CC science becomes imperative.  In this context, individuals as well as collective capacity to put existing and new knowledge into practice is crucial as capacity includes “abilities, skills, understandings,   attitudes,   values,   relationships,   behaviours,   motivations,   resources   and conditions that enable individuals, organizations, networks/sectors and broader social systems to carry out  functions  and  achieve their  development  objectives  over time.  Adaptation  to  CC therefore, requires information generation and dissemination. The study assessed the capacity for agricultural adaptation to CC among university faculties of agriculture in South East Nigeria. A total of 120 respondents were selected using simple random sampling. Percentages, mean scores, and factor analysis were used in data analysis and presentation. The findings show that the teaching capacities of the universities to CC adaptation were low. In the same vein, the research capacities of the universities in CC issues were found to be on the low ebb. These were seen in the very few numbers of CC researches and activities carried out in the universities. On outreach capacities of the universities to CC adaptation, it was found to be very poor. However, the medium most frequently used were posters, fliers, lectures, farm visits/ village outreach and the use of radio programmes. The respondents’ perceived constraints to building CC agricultural adaptation in the universities include, poor learning environment, lack of reliable weather forecast/climate information, lack of proper policy/policy implementation on CC, poor outreach capacities in terms of human resources on CC, lack of technical and communication facilities, poor or absence of teaching materials, lack/limited availability of grants and scholarship on CC issues, lack of funds for research on CC, poor funding for teaching etc.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background information

Climate  Change  (CC)  has  been  defined  as  change  which  is  attributed  directly  or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is, in addition, to natural climate variability observed over comparable time period. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007), explained CC as ‘statistically significant variations that persist for an extended period, typically decades or longer’. It is made up of discrepancies in the occurrence and magnitude of sporadic weather events and concomitant rise in world mean surface temperature.  Regardless of international progress to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases that cause CC, the climate system will continue to adjust to past emissions in the next few decades.  This will bring unavoidable impacts on natural  and human systems, presenting the challenge of second response to Climate Change, which is adaptation (to prepare for and cope with these effects).

The effects  include among others  increasing temperatures,  decreasing  rainfall  in  the continental interiors, drought, desert encroachment, melting ice, extreme weather, floods, sea level rise, sinking of Islands, water scarcity, health and agricultural problems (Odjugo, 2007; 2009; Adefolalu, 2007; Nwafor, 2007; Awake, 2008).  In the south east Nigeria, the  impacts of CC is very evident as observed in the increased flooding, landslide and erosion of the zone which has led to loss of lives, houses, farmlands, properties, roads etc. (Agwu and Okhimamhe, 2009). The environment of a large part of the south eastern zone presents its own challenge with respect to CC vulnerability. Apart from experiencing delayed onset or early retreat of rains, unstead growing season, and other extreme climatic events in the region, large distribution of loose acidic soils, extensive gully erosion, few reservoirs to support irrigation and growing urbanization are critical vulnerability factors. For instance, many parts of Anambra and Enugu States are ravaged by sheet and gully erosion; some of the worse hit areas include the Anatu-Agulu-Nanka axis, the areas around Nkisi River, and Amawbia and Ozubulu areas of Anambra state. Soil productivity in  many parts  of  the  region  has  been  badly impacted  with  considerable  reduction  in  food productivity (Adesina  and Odekunle, 2012). This calls for CC agricultural adaptation capacities in the area.

Adaptation to CC is the adjustment in natural or human system in response to actual or expected  climatic  stimuli  or  their  effects  (IPCC,  2001).  With  respect  to  agriculture,  CC adaptation aims at reducing and developing appropriate coping measures to address the negative impacts of CC on crop production, soil management/conservation and animal husbandry. Adjustments are possible in practice within the limits of available income and technology. That is why adaptation to CC will be of relatively lesser problem in the developed nations as a result of their high level of technological development and high per capital income. CC is a serious problem in the developing nations, especially Nigeria, due to low income and poor technological base. (Mshelia, 2005; Jagtap, 2007; Rockfeller Foundation, 2008; IFPRI, 2009;Odjugo, 2010).

Low levels of awareness of CC amongst policy makers and the public at large, and poor understanding of its risks have hindered effective decision making. There is a need for urgent reforms in the current pedagogy, knowledge diffusion structures, mindsets of the actors, reward systems, governance structures and policy frameworks for African universities to effectively engage in higher education for sustainable development including adaptation to climate change ( African Association of Universities, 2009).

To cushion and curb the devastating impacts of CC in Nigeria, there is great need to build resilience and capacities of institutions towards more lasting and far reaching approach to CC adaptation. Universities exist with the aim of advancing the frontiers of knowledge. They help to enlarge human choices, skills and capabilities, by developing human resources.  With the science of CC now becoming increasingly clear, sustainability and adaptability is turning more and more into an issue for education (Institute of Education, IOE, 2009). University education provides leadership in research, training and innovation responsible for sustainable development of any nation. It has long been perceived throughout the world, that higher education plays a critical role in preparing and providing the leadership to meet these challenges and to stimulate sustainable development (Bloom et al., 2005).

Okiy (1998), identifies six main functions of Nigerian Universities as; conservation of knowledge, pursuit, promotion and dissemination of information through teaching, advancement of knowledge through research oriented development, provision of intellectual leadership and development  of human  resources  for meeting  manpower and  societal  needs.  These defined functions above,  make  the university the ideal  centre for building capacities and  resilience required for CC adaptation especially in the agricultural sector.

1.2 Problem statement

With  the phenomenon  of CC  becoming so  alarming,  building adaptive capacity, including  provision  of  tools  and  or  information,  raising  awareness  of  adaptation  options, educating key professionals about CC and investing in CC science as well as related social, ecological and socio-economic studies becomes imperative.  In this context, individual as well as collective  capacity  to  put  existing  and  new  knowledge  into  practice  is  crucial  as  capacity includes   “abilities,   skills,   understandings,   attitudes,   values,   relationships,   behaviours,

motivations, resources and conditions that enable individuals, organizations, networks/sectors and broader social systems to carry out functions and achieve their development objectives over time. Adaptation to CC therefore, requires information generation and dissemination.

There is need for timely intervention in terms of knowledge, innovation and capacity to adapt to CC phenomenon. The Nigerian universities are known as centers for knowledge and learning, have the historical and practical responsibility in providing research and knowledge in national issues and hence, the very essence of the study. Perhaps, the most serious aspect of the problem is that while it is well known that the responsibilities of universities include supporting policy/decision makers with required information and knowledge through vigorous research, teaching and  community services,  there is  a need  to  find  out the current  capacities  of the universities to meet the CC challenge.

The following questions become imperative: what capacities exist in the universities for teaching agricultural adaptation to CC? What research capacities exist in the universities for agricultural adaptation to CC? What outreach/extension activities exist in the universities on CC adaptation? What are the constraints to building capacities of the universities to agricultural adaptation to CC?

1.3 Purpose of the study

The overall purpose of the study was to examine the capacities for agricultural adaptation to Climate Change in university faculties of agriculture in South-East Nigeria. Specifically, the objectives of the studies were to:

1.   identify the teaching capacities  for agricultural  adaptation  on  CC in  the universities faculties of agriculture,

2.   identify the research capacities for CC agricultural adaptation in the universities faculties of agriculture,

3.   identify  the  capacities  for  outreach/extension  activities  in  CC  adaptation  of  the universities faculties of agriculture,

4.    identify the constraints to building capacities of the universities in CC adaptation.

1.4. Significance of the study

The study will provide baseline data on the capacities for agricultural adaptation to CC in universities in Southeast Nigeria. The findings of the study will provide policy makers with the requisite knowledge on building capacity of university on CC especially in the CCs’, teaching, research and outreach facilities. The findings may help draw attention to the new areas of funding for research, teaching and outreach in universities on CC adaptation.

The findings of the work will help speed up actions necessary for agricultural adaptation to CC especially in building viable and necessary networks  for research, collaboration and funding in the universities.  Finally to the academia, the findings will present an ideal referencing material, for educators, teachers, curriculum developers, and instructional administrators responsible for connecting academic concepts with CC issues in their respective schools and communities across Southeast Nigeria and Nigeria at large.

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