Adoption of Climate-smart Agriculture Practices by Smallholder Rice Farmers in Taraba State, Nigeria

The study assessed the adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices by smallholder rice farmers in Taraba State, Nigeria. The study specifically looked at selected climate-smart agriculture practices utilized by smallholder rice farmers, food security status of smallholder rice farmers and factors influencing food security of smallholder rice farmers in the study area. The multistage sampling procedure was used to select 142 rice farmers. Structured interview scheduled and focus group discussion were used for data collection. Frequency, percentage, mean and probit regression analysis were used for data analysis. The study found that 63.4% were males, 34.5% had primary education. The average household was 12 people. Minimal/conservative tillage ( =3.6) change of planting date ( and planting of drought-resistant seed varieties ( =3.5) were among climate-smart agriculture practices adopted by the respondents.. Furthermore, 68.3% of the respondents were found to be food secure. Farm size and the number of extension visits were factors influencing food security among the respondents. Relevant authorities such as Federal and State governments, NGOs and Intergovernmental panel for climate change should design policies that will encourage farmers to adopt more climate-smart agriculture practices that will ensure increased food security.