Analysis of farmers’ perceptions on sustainable sweet orange farming in nigeria amid climate change

This study evaluates sweet orange farmers' understanding of climate change impacts on sweet orange farming in Nigeria. A survey was conducted among 480 farmers across six key sweet orange-producing states, with 418 completed questionnaires analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The findings revealed that 78% of sweet orange farmers were male, 61% used pesticides for pest control, and 34.92% managed between 1 and 3 acres of sweet orange farms. The data underwent rigorous validation using the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin and Bartlett's tests (p < 0.05), confirming its suitability for factor analysis. Six key factors shaping farmers' perceptions of climate change impacts were identified: production volume, high-temperature effects, prolonged dry seasons, shifting rainfall patterns, flooding incidence, and poor seedling performance. To mitigate climate change impacts, three major adaptation strategies were highlighted: (i) regular and timely dissemination of climate-related information to farmers (36.33%), (ii) enhanced government support through access to credit, extension services, public lectures, outreach programmes, and agrochemical subsidies (23.38%), and (iii) promotion of heat-resistant seeds and seedlings (11.50%). Policy recommendations include the establishment of a climate-resilient agricultural framework that integrates climate-smart farming techniques into extension services. The government should prioritise subsidies and financial support for smallholder farmers to enhance adaptive capacity. Additionally, investment in agricultural research to develop and distribute climate-resilient sweet orange seedlings should be intensified. Collaboration between meteorological agencies and agricultural extension officers should be strengthened to ensure farmers receive accurate, timely weather forecasts. Lastly, policymakers should design region-specific climate adaptation policies to support sustainable sweet orange production. Further research is recommended to assess the long-term effectiveness of these adaptation strategies in sustaining sweet orange farming under changing climatic conditions.