Effect of Climate Variability on Crop Production Among Farmers in Yobe State

This study examines the effect of climate variability on crop production among smallholder farmers in Yobe State, North East Nigeria. Climate change is altering rainfall patterns, temperature regimes, and pest and disease distributions across Nigeria's agricultural zones, with particularly severe impacts in the semi-arid Northeast. Yobe State farmers, who depend predominantly on rain-fed agriculture, are among the most climate-vulnerable farming populations in the country. This study uses a mixed-method design, combining a survey of 180 farmers in Potiskum, Nguru, and Fune local government areas with analysis of 20-year rainfall and temperature data from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency. Farmers' perceptions of climate change, adaptation strategies adopted, and crop yield trends are assessed. Regression analysis links climate variability indicators to crop yield outcomes. Findings reveal that 86 percent of sampled farmers report perceiving significant changes in rainfall patterns over the past decade, with shorter rainy seasons and increased drought frequency as the most common observations. Millet and sorghum yields show declining trends correlated with increasing temperature and rainfall variability. Adaptation strategies including early planting, drought-tolerant varieties, and crop diversification are partially effective but constrained by limited access to adapted seed varieties. The study concludes that climate variability is a significant threat to crop production in Yobe State. It recommends acceleration of drought-tolerant variety distribution and climate-smart extension programming in the Northeast.

Keywords: climate variability, crop production, Yobe State, drought, adaptation strategies.