Farmers’ Perception and Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change in Wurno Local Government Area, Sokoto State, Nigeria
Abstract
-Climate change poses a significant threat to rain-fed agriculture in northwestern Nigeria, where smallholder farmers are increasingly exposed to rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and declining agricultural productivity. This study assessed farmers' perceptions of climate change, identified adaptation strategies, and examined factors influencing adaptation among crop farmers in Wurno Local Government Area, Sokoto State. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted, involving 400 farmers selected through a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using structured questionnaires, key informant interviews, and field observations and analyzed using descriptive statistics and linear regression. The findings showed that farmers had a high perception of climate change, with an overall grand mean of 3.18. Rising temperature (3.62) early cessation of rainfall (3.55) delayed rainfall onset (3.48) and declining annual rainfall (3.31) were the most strongly perceived indicators. The most widely adopted adaptation strategies were the use of early-maturing and drought-tolerant crop varieties (78.5%) adjustment of planting dates (71.0%) and crop diversification (66.5%). Regression analysis revealed that education, access to extension services, farmers' association membership, credit access, farming experience, farm size, and annual income significantly influenced adaptation levels. The study concludes that strengthening extension services, improving access to credit and education, supporting farmer cooperatives, and rehabilitating irrigation infrastructure are essential for enhancing climate resilience among smallholder farmers in Wurno LGA.