Determinants of Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Among Rice (Oryza Sativa L.) Farming Households in Benue State, Nigeria

The study examined the determinants of climate change adaptation strategies among rice (Oryza sativa L.) farmers in Benue State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was used to select 498 rice farmers across 24 rice farming communities, 6 Local Government Areas and 3 Agricultural Zones. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics and multinomial logit model. Results showed that fertilizer application (85.94%), multiple plots (69.28%) and improved rice varieties (68.27%) were the major climate change adaptation strategies used. Age negatively influenced the tendency of using multiple plots (-0.030, P<0.05) and education positively influenced the probability of using improved rice varieties (0.119, P<0.01). Also, climate change experience positively influenced the probability of using multiple plots (0.166), crop diversification (0.166), multiple planting dates (0.150), irrigation (0.207), trees planting (0.319) at P<0.01 and improved rice varieties (0.146) at P<0.05. The study concluded that rice farmers in Benue State are actively engaged in adapting to climate change which is driven by experience and influenced by a spectrum of socio-economic factors (sex, age, education, experience, credit access, extension, cooperative membership) that influence the choice of specific climate change adaptation strategies among rice farmers. The study recommended that farmers should be encouraged and supported by government through extension services to scale up the adoption of climate change adaptation strategies. Also, government and relevant organisations should establish user-friendly climate information service systems that provide timely, accurate and context-specific climate forecasts, advisories and early warning signs.