ANALYSIS OF FACTORS INFLUENCING ADAPTATION MEASURES TO CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS AMONG IRISH POTAOES (solanum tuberosum) FARMERS IN PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

This study analyzed the factors influencing climate change adaptation measures among Irish potato (Solanum tuberosum) farmers in Plateau State, Nigeria. Specifically, it described farmers' socioeconomic characteristics, analysed factors influencing adaptation, and identified constraints limiting the adoption of adaptation measures. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 231 respondents from four Local Government Areas, and primary data were collected using structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse farmers’ socioeconomic characteristics, and constraints limiting adaptation measures, while multinomial logistic regression was used to identify factors influencing adaptation. The findings revealed that the mean age of respondents was 39 years, with most of the respondents being male (67%), literate, and (49.5%) having tertiary education. The average farming experience was 17 years, household size was five persons, and (76.9%) of respondents were aware of climate change. The multinomial logit regression results showed that farming season (β = 2.668, p < 0.05), age (β = 1.963, p < 0.10), climate change awareness (β = 6.557, p < 0.01), extension contact (β = 3.352, p < 0.01), and access to credit (β = 2.050, p < 0.10) positively influenced adaptation, whereas farm size (β = −3.030, p < 0.05) had a negative effect. Major constraints included inadequate financial resources, land shortage, limited extension services, high input costs, and inadequate input availability. The study concludes that farming season, age, climate change awareness, extension contact, access to credit and farm size are the major factors influencing adaptation measures to climate change. It recommends that strengthening extension services, improving access to credit, promoting climate change awareness, and enhancing access to affordable agricultural inputs are essential for improving farmers' adaptive capacity.