PRODUCTIVITY AND WELFARE EFFECTS OF CLIMATESMART ADAPTATION PRACTICES OF CROP FARMING HOUSEHOLDS IN THE SAVANNA REGION OF NIGERIA
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2021-03
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN
Abstract
Climate change distorts agricultural production and impacts negatively on the welfare of
farming households in Nigeria. The climate-smart adaptation (CSA) strategies have the
potential to mitigate the effects of climate change while preserving the natural resourcebase.
However, there is limited empirical knowledge on the impacts of usage of such
strategies on the productivity and welfare of farmers. The study assessed the productivity
and welfare effects of CSA practices on crop farming households in the savanna region
of Nigeria. Theobjectives of the study were to: (i) identify crop specific CSA strategies;
(ii) examine the factors that influence the choice of CSA strategies; (iii) assess the
determinants of the use intensity of CSA; (iv) determine the productivity and welfare
effects of the usage of CSA strategies; and (v) identify the constraints to the use of CSA
strategies.
A structured questionnaire was used to collect data for the study through a three-stage
sampling technique involving the selection of 391 households from 33 Enumeration
Areas (EAs) constituting about 6% of the rural-based EAs in Benue and Niger States.
Descriptive statistics, tetrachoric correlation, multivariate probit regression, Ordinary
Least Square (OLS) regression, heterogenous treatment effects (HTE), conditional
recursive mixed process (CMP) for sequential joint estimations, and Garrett ranking
score were used to analyse the data at 5% level of significance.
The findings of the study were that:
i. crop rotation and intercropping with legumes, green manure, and farmyard
manure were the common CSA strategies used in the production of cereals,
pulses as well as roots and tubers. In addition, minimum tillage and improved
varieties of seeds were used for cereals;
ii. tetrachoric correlation coefficients showed that 80% of the pairs of CSA
strategies have between 17 and 74% relationships in the simultaneity of
usage;
iii. farmer’s age and education, group membership, credit constraint, risk
perception, risk experience and household perception of effectiveness of
strategiesare factors that influence the choice of the CSA strategies;
iv. usage of the CSA strategies reduced with age of the farmers, but increased
with farm size, soil fertility perception, market distance, number of livestock
owned, and years of continuous use of farm;
v. usage of fertilizer deep placement and cover cropping increased the yields of
cerealsby 65% and 31% respectively, while improved crop varieties as well
as crop rotation with legumes increased yield of pulses by 43%and 63%
respectively. Mulching increased yield of roots and tubers by 43%;
vi. Based on CMP estimate, a percentage increase in yields of cereals, pulses,
and roots and tubers improved household welfare by 340%, 1.15% and 0.43%
respectively; and
vii. the use of CSA strategies is constrained by the initial establishment and
labour costs, farm tenure security status,and market distance to purchase of
relevant CSA inputs.
The study concluded that CSA strategies had positive impacts on crop productivity and
household welfare. The study recommended the use of farmer groups as platform for
promotion of the use of CSA and provision of on-lending facilities for farmers.
Description
Keywords
PRODUCTIVITY, WELFARE, CLIMATE, CROP FARMING HOUSEHOLDS, SAVANNA REGION, NIGERIA, ADAPTATION PRACTICES