Disturbed by the scourge of climate change, experts in environment and agriculture sectors have called on Nigerian farmers to combine the various climate adaptation strategies, to increase their income and boost food security for the teeming population.
They stated this at a workshop on Climate Adaptation Support Programme, organised by AKADEMIYA2063, in partnership with Resource and Environmental Policy Research Centre, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State and the Global Centre on Adaptation in Abuja.
In a presentation, the Director of the Centre, Dr. Nnaemeka Chukwuone explained that they intend to validate research findings, which are meant to facilitate Nigeria’s implementation of the National Action Plan on climate change.
Chukwuone said empirical evidence showed that smallholder farmers fare better when they adopt multiple climate strategies such as diversified cropping system, use of improved seedlings, and the application of organic and inorganic fertilizers.
He therefore, emphasised that the adoption of one of the strategies increases the farmers’ income when compared with non-adoption, saying, “The highest farm income will be achieved when farmers adopt all the practices jointly, rather than partially.
“Policymakers must consider climate adaptation options holistically instead of treating the strategies in isolation. They should explicitly design models that will enhance the externally purchased technological farm inputs jointly with the locally available knowledge-intensive land management options.”
Also, an Associate Researcher at REPRC-EfD Nigeria, Dr. Henry Okoduwa, stressed that the assessment of the economic impact of climate change showed the urgent need for farmers to implement them, “If the country will continue on the path of business-as-usual.”
According to him, climate change will reduce Nigeria’s economic output, in terms of gross domestic product by 4.2 per cent, adding that the simulation scenarios are built through an exhaustive review of existing literature to collect evidence on the impact of climate change and adaptation options on agricultural productivity.
Similarly, he maintained that evidence on the productivity effects of climate shocks fit into the macro-model to assess economic growth, employment, income changes by type of production factors and category of household.
While explaining the objective of the workshop, Dr. Mahamadou Tankari said the programme was aimed at contributing to the adaptation solution in Nigeria and other African countries by providing data and frameworks for analysis to answer key questions on climate adaptation.
Tankari said it will also guide policy harmonisation, interventions, as well as priority actions that can help meet the objectives of the different policy initiative for climate adaptation.
Participants at the workshop were drawn from the Federal Ministry of Environment. Others are Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, National Adaptation Plan Strategy, REDD+ Secretariat, National Climate Change Council, and Agro-industrial Processing Zones Programme, among others.
