Impact of Climate Change Education on Agricultural Adaptation Practices for Sustainability in Rivers State

This study examined the impact of climate change education on agricultural adaptation practices for sustainability in Rivers State. Three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted the analytic descriptive survey research design. The population of the study was 3,488 farmers and agricultural extension officers in rural areas who are registered with the Rivers State Agricultural Development Programme (RSADP) and have attended climate Change awareness programmes organized by RSADP. The sample size of this study was 348 respondents consisting of 332 Farmers and 20 Agricultural Experts in Rivers State. The study used a self-designed questionnaire for data collection. The instruments were validated by the researcher’s supervisor, one expert in Community Development and one in Measurement and Evaluation from Rivers State University. A test of internal consistency was carried out using the Chronbach Alpha method to determine the reliability of the instrument. Reliability coefficients of 0.79, 0.96 and 0.97 were obtained for the three sections of the instrument respectively. From the analysed quantitative data, the findings of the study among others revealed that to a high extent, climate change education enhances diversification of income sources for sustainable agriculture in Rivers State. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among other things that the Rivers State Ministry of Commerce and industry should provide training and start-up grants for rural farmers to establish complementary agricultural enterprises such as food processing, beekeeping, and aquaculture.