Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change among Grain Farmers in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State

Abstract

This paper examined the adaptation strategies to climate change among grain (millet, sorghum and maize) farmers in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State. Daily rainfall and temperature data for 30 years (1981-2010) were sourced from the Sokoto Rima Basin Development Authority’s Rainfall Reading Office, Goronyo. The data received was augmented with data collected for Sokoto from the Nigerian Meteorological Services (NIMET), Oshodi, Lagos. These data were used to derive the rainfall characteristics of Goronyo such as the onset, cessation, length of rainy season, annual rainfall, mean maximum and mean minimum temperature, which are very crucial in plant growth and development. 382 grain farmers were sampled. Open ended questions were used to ask farmers of their favourite crops. The sampled grain farmers were also asked whether they had perceived long-term changes in rainfall and temperature and about the adaptations they had made as a response to whatever changes they had noticed. The farmers’ perceptions to climate change are in line with climatic data records. The characterisation of the climate of the study area showed an increasing trend in the onset and cessation dates. The study revealed an upward trend in length of the rainy season. To cope with the changing climate, grain farmers in the study area adopted some adaptive measures. The main adaptation strategies of grain farmers in Goronyo are: crop rotation, use of improved seed varieties, shifting cultivation, intensification of irrigation, use of organic and inorganic manure among others. The study concludes that the climatic characteristics of the study area affect grain production and that adaptation strategies have significant contribution on grain production in the study area. The study therefore advocates that grain farmers should adopt viable adaptive strategies to climate change so as to maximize the available land and the climatic condition that favours their cultivation