Stakeholders in the field of environment and agriculture have called on farmers to combine the various climate adaption strategies in order to boost their productions and increase their income.
The call was made on Thursday, March 16, 2023, at a stakeholders’ workshop on Climate Adaptation Support Programme (CASP), organised by AKADEMIYA2063, in collaboration with the Resource and Environmental Policy Research Centre, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Environment for Development (REPRC-EfD) Nigeria and the Global Centre on Adaptation.   Â
The Director of REPRC-EfD Nigeria, Dr Nnaemeka Chukwuone, explained that the workshop was organised to validate research findings which are meant to facilitate Nigeria’s implementation of the National Action Plan on climate change.
While presenting findings of one of the studies titled, “Adoption of Multiple Climate Smart Agricultural Practices and its Implications for Farm Income: Panel Data Evidence from Nigeria”, Dr Chukwuone said that empirical evidence showed that small holder 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 fertilisers.
He explained that the adoption of one of the strategies increases the famers’ income compared with non-adoption. But the highest farm income will be achieved when farmers adopt all the practices jointly, rather than partial adoption.
Chukwuone advised policymakers to consider climate adaptation options holistically instead of treating the strategies in isolation.
“Policymakers should explicitly design strategies that enhance the adoption of externally purchased technological farm inputs jointly with the locally available knowledge-intensive land management options,” he said.
Dr Henry Okoduwa, an Associate Researcher at REPRC-EfD Nigeria, said that the assessment of the economic impact of climate change in Nigeria showed the urgency for farmers to implement adaptation strategies.Â
“If the country continues on the path of business-as-usual without embracing significant climate adaptation measures, climate change will reduce Nigeria’s economic output (measured in terms of GDP) by 4.2%”, Okoduwa said while presenting findings of the study titled, “Modeling the Economic Impacts of Climate Change and Adaptation Strategies in Nigeria”.
Explaining the objective of the Climate Adaptation Support Program (CASP), Dr. Mahamadou Tankari, a Senior Scientist with AKADEMIYA2063, said that the programme aims to contribute to adaptation solution in Nigeria and other African countries by providing data and frameworks for analysis to answer key questions on climate adaptation.
Dr Tankari said that the programme also aims to guide policy harmonisation, interventions as well as priority actions that can help meet the objectives of the different policy initiative climate adaptation.
Participants at the workshop were drawn from the Federal Ministry of Environment, 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.
