Climate change adaptation practices of rice farmers in Borgu local government area of Niger state, Nigeria

The study assessed climate change adaptation practices among rice farmers in Borgu Local Government Area, Niger State, Nigeria. An interview schedule was used to collect data from eighty respondents who were selected through the multi-stage sampling technique. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the data while the Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used to determine the relationship between the variables. Results of the findings indicated that mean farm size was 1.4 ha while mean rice output was 5310 kg. Mean annual income from rice farm was ₦636,206 and average years of experience in rice farming was 8 years. Majority (92.5%) of the rice farmers had observed climate change with major indicators being flooding, unstable rainfall, insufficient rainfall and longer rainy season. Making of mounds and digging ridges across slopes, prayer/ritual offering, cultivation of more farm lands and use of organic manure constituted the major adaptation practices used by farmers. The major constraints of utilizing climate change adaptation practices included factors such as limited access to weather forecast technologies, non-availability of improved rice varieties and high cost of improved rice varieties. Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) showed that age (r = -0.25, p=0.02) and years of experience (r = -0.31, p=0.00) had a significant relationship with the use of climate change adaptation practices. Farmers should be provided with information on climate change adaptation practices and weather forecast as this will enable them to effectively cope with the negative effects of climate change on their farming practices. Keywords: climate change, adaptation practices, rice farming, Borgu