Socio-economic and flood precautions of flood affected households in lower Niger basin areas of Nigeria.
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Date
2016
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Gaurav Society of Agricultural Information Centre, Hisar, India.
Abstract
Flood is a tropical climate change challenge in Nigeria. Its occurrence is always
associated with heavy loss of life and property, misery, hardship, disease and at times
famine. This study specifically examined socio-economic predicaments of flood affected
households, factors predisposing farmers and their livelihood to flood and mitigation
practices adopted in the Niger basins of Nigeria. Primary data were collected from 120
respondents with the use of questionnaire. About 389.6 hectares were affected by flood
constituting 92.08% of the total farm area. About 446150 kg (N 35,692,000) of rice were
lost to the flood accounting for 94.83% of the total loss, while maize of about 22800 kg (N
1,368,000) and sorghum of about 1500 kg (N 90,000) were also lost to the flood accounting
for 4.85 and 0.32% of the total loss, respectively. Factors such as farmland proximity to
river, lack of levee/dyke along the river channel, lack of insurance on flood, inadequate
access to flood resistant crop varieties, inadequate assistance from the Government and
other financial institutions predisposed respondents to flooding. Furrow channeling and
use of cement blocks were the most adopted flood mitigation practices in the study area,
while the use of sandbags, woods and heavy grasses were adopted. Study, therefore, calls
for government and the private sectors participation in construction of embankments and
complete dredging of the river as well as provision of flood resistant crop varieties, loans
and enlightenment of farmers on insuring their properties.
Description
Keywords
Floods, households, socio-economic predicaments
Citation
48. Fakayode, S. B., Falola, A., Obakeye, D. & Adeyemo, A. (2016): Socio-economic and flood precautions of flood affected households in lower Niger basin areas of Nigeria. Research on Crops, 17(3): 633-639. Published by the Gaurav Society of Agricultural Information Centre, Hisar, India. Available at http://cropresearch.org/volume-17-no-3-september-2016/.