Assessment of Climate Change Perceptions and Adaptive Practices of Crop Farmers in Taraba State

The adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers in responding to climate change depends substantially on their perceptions of weather pattern changes and the agronomic adaptation strategies they implement, and documenting these perceptions and practices in Taraba State provides evidence for climate-smart agriculture extension programming. This study assessed climate change perceptions and agronomic adaptive practices among crop farmers in Ardo Kola, Bali, and Lau LGAs of Taraba State, North East Nigeria. A descriptive survey was conducted among 120 crop farmers using structured questionnaires. Farmers' observations of rainfall patterns, temperature changes, drought frequency, and flooding were recorded, along with the specific adaptive strategies they had implemented. Results showed that 89.2 percent of farmers reported perceived changes in rainfall onset (later start and earlier cessation of rains) over the preceding 10 years. Temperature increase was perceived by 74.2 percent. Drought frequency increase was noted by 81.7 percent. Adaptive strategies adopted included earlier planting (63.3 percent), use of drought-tolerant varieties (41.7 percent), supplemental irrigation (28.3 percent), and changing crops grown (23.3 percent). Lack of knowledge on available drought-tolerant varieties and inadequate access to irrigation infrastructure were cited as the primary barriers to more comprehensive adaptation. The study concludes that farmers are aware of climate variability but adaptation depth remains limited. Recommendations include climate-smart agriculture extension programming, drought-tolerant variety distribution, and community-level small irrigation scheme development in Taraba State.

Keywords: climate change perception, adaptive practices, crop farmers, Taraba State, climate-smart agriculture