Perception of farmers on the effect of climate change on farm produce

Thesis Overview

<p> </p><p><strong>1.0 &nbsp; INTRODUCTION</strong></p><p>The theme of this research is based on the perception of farmers of<br>the effect of climate change on farm produce. It has been logically<br>argued that climate change may positively and negatively affect &nbsp;the<br>growth of crop in agricultural system.</p><p>In some broken down analysis, climate is a sole determinant for the<br>success of &nbsp;farm produce and its harvest as well. Emphasis are hereby<br>made below under some given headings.</p><p><strong>1.1</strong><strong>BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY</strong></p><p>According to Kolbert., (2006) climate encompasses the &nbsp;temperatures,<br>humidity, atmospheric pressure, winds, rainfall, atmospheric particle<br>count and numerous other meteorological elements in a given region over<br>long periods of time, as opposed to &nbsp;the term weather, which refers to<br>current activity of these same elements.</p><p>The climate of a location is affected by its latitude, terrain,<br>altitude, persistent ice or snow cover, as well as nearby oceans and<br>their currents.</p><p>Climates can be classified using parameters such temperature and rainfall to define specific climate types. (Seiz, 2007) &nbsp; &nbsp; </p><p>According to Haeberli, (2008) from Montana State University, climate<br>change is any long term significant change in the expected patterns of<br>average weather of a specific region (or, more relevantly to<br>contemporary socio-political concerns, of the earth as a whole) over an<br>appropriately significant period of time.</p><p>&lt; </p><p>Susanne, and Veizer (2008) revealed that climate change reflects<br>abnormal variations to the expected climate &nbsp;within the earth’s<br>atmosphere and subsequent effects on other parts of the earth, such as<br>in the ice caps over &nbsp;durations ranging from decades to million of<br>years.</p><p>Reports revealed by the inter-governmental panel on climate change<br>(IPCC 2007) stated that &nbsp;climate change in the research of a &nbsp;great many<br>factors including the dynamic processes of the earth itself, external<br>forces including variation in sunlight intensity, and more recently by<br>human activities, which might in future be deliberate &nbsp;geo-engineering.<br>External factors that can shape climate are often called climate forcing<br>and include such processes as variations in solar radiation, deviations<br>in the Earths orbit and the level of greenhouse gas concentrations.</p><p>There have been so many variations on carbondioxide(Co2) during the<br>last 50 million years. The increased carbondioxide level are thought to<br>exacerbate the heating effects of the greenhouse effect by reading the<br>re-radiation of heat from the sun and, therefore, increasing the<br>temperature contained in the atmosphere.</p><p>As the ability of the atmosphere to capture and recycle energy<br>emitted by the Earth’s surface is essential to a stable climate, this<br>heightened temperature may introduce a de-stabilizing influence and<br>potentially affect global weather patterns and eventually, long-term<br>climate change.</p><p>(Source: Buckley, and Wallace, 2008)</p><p>Framers efforts on yielding mass harvest and encouraging large<br>plantation may be seriously terminated and hampered from the perception<br>of climate change. Where alternative instruments are not introduced to<br>counteract the factors militating against favourable climate on farm<br>produce this may lay a set back on agricultural input and output by our<br>farmers.</p><p>It obvioused that climate change had contributed towards initiating<br>basic subsistence farming system order than the mechanized farming<br>product for large market of farm produce. </p><p>For example, a region where climate change had hampered the<br>possibility of regular actual rainfall variably, water system irrigation<br>can be applied to artificially supply wet contents on crop growth and<br>improving regular harvest.</p><p>Farmers in Nigeria today are faced with variable challenges on<br>climate change making the agricultural sector prone to difficulties in<br>enhancing crop production as a result of weak alternative facilities,<br>equipments and scientific instruments to improve the range of farming.</p><p>Dr Daniel (2008) from the University of Maiduguri revealed findings<br>that climate change plays a significant role in agriculture by setting<br>up limits for crop production. The main climatic elements in agriculture<br>are temperature, moisture, sunlight, wind and evaporation. Most<br>crops &nbsp; &nbsp; are sensitive to episodes of high temperature. High<br>temperatures between 45oc and 55oc that occur for at least 30 minutes<br>directly, damage crop leaves in most environments, and lower<br>temperatures between 35-40oc can be damaging if they persist longer. &nbsp; &nbsp;</p><p>Awosika, and Ajayi, (2002) opined that vulnerability of crops<br>to &nbsp;damage by high temperatures varies with developmental stage thus,<br>high temperatures during reproductive development are particularly<br>injurious. &nbsp;For example, to maize at tussling, to soybean at flowering<br>and to wheat at grain filling.`</p><p>Soybean in one of crops that seems to have the ability to recover from heat stress, perhaps, because it is in determinate.</p><p>Whereas as stated by Adefolau (2000) food crops like yam, cocoyam,<br>potatoes, cassava can get damage (burnt) due to excessive heat<br>temperature.</p><p>Precipitation, being the primary source of soil moisture is probably<br>the most important factor determining the productivity of corps. While<br>global climate models predict an overall increase &nbsp;in mean global<br>precipitation, their results also show the potential for<br>changed &nbsp;hydrological regimes in most places.</p><p>Ojo (2000) a change in climate can cause changes &nbsp;in total<br>precipitation, within season pattern, and between season variability for<br>crop productivity, a change in the pattern of precipitation events may<br>be even more important than a change in the annual precipitation. The<br>water regime of crops is also vulnerable to a potential rise in the<br>daily rate and alerted seasonal pattern of precipitation events may be<br>even more important than a change in the annual precipitation. The water<br>regime of crops is also vulnerable to a potential rise in the daily<br>rate and altered seasonal pattern of evapotranspiration, brought on by<br>warm temperature, drier air, or windier conditions. &nbsp; Drought conditions<br>may be brought about by lower amounts of precipitation falling.</p><p>Oni (2001) opines that farm produce and yield quantity are likely to<br>suffer if dry periods occur during critical developmental stages. In<br>most grain crops, flowering, pollination and grain filling are<br>especially sensitive to water stress, heat stress and drought stresses<br>often occur simultaneously one contributing to the other. &nbsp; High solar<br>radiance and high winds often accompany these conditions. When crops are<br>subjected to drought stress, their stomata close, such closure reduces<br>transportation and consequently, raises plant temperatures. Excessively<br>wet years, on the other hand, may cause farm produce declines &nbsp; due to<br>water logging and increased pest infestation (Dr. Daniel, 2008).</p><p>Intense burst of rainfall may damage younger plants and promote water<br>logging of standing crops with repining grain, as well as soil erosion.<br>The extent of crop damage depends on the duration of precipitation and<br>flooding, crop developmental stage, air and soil temperatures. </p><p><strong>1.2</strong><strong>STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM </strong>&nbsp; &nbsp;</p><p>The research tends to examine the perception of farmers of the effect of climate change on farm produce.</p><p>Climate change may serve as a factor that can hinder crop yield and<br>as such bring to an end the agricultural &nbsp;activities of farmers.</p><p>It is a problem that if farmers have no means to face and tackle the<br>global climate models affecting yield processes farm produce can<br>maximally decline due to acute change in climate. But it is believed<br>that this can be controlled through some adaptation options as proposed<br>and laid down by Dr. Adejuwon (2004) from Obafemi Awolowo University<br>(OAU). It has been revealed in his findings and discussions and likewise<br>other related scholars.</p><p>Climate change will be a bone of contention on farmers posing<br>barriers to actual farm produce until proper adjustment and technical<br>adaptation models are absorbed and utilized by our farmers.</p><p><strong>1.3</strong><strong>PURPOSE OF THE STUDY </strong>&nbsp; &nbsp;</p><p>The objectives of the research are stated below as follows.</p><p>i. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; To examine the various climate change and how they affect farm produce in Nigeria.</p><p>ii. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; To appraise possible adaptation options that can be utilized by farmers for responding to climate change.</p><p>iii. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;To create an awareness on climate change and how it can<br>be controlled on farm produce by farmers to assess the factors<br>militating climate change and the problems faced by farmers.</p><p>iv. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;To assess the factors militating climate change and the problems faced by farmers on farm produce.</p><p><strong>1.4</strong><strong>RESEARCH QUESTIONS</strong>&nbsp; </p><p>The following research questions had been formulated for the research as follows:</p><p>i. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Does climate change affect farm produce in Nigeria?</p><p>ii. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Can farmers respond to climate change through possible adaptation options on farm produce?</p><p>iii. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Can climate change be controlled in farm produce by farmers through a critical awareness?</p><p>iv. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;What are the factors militating climate change and the problems faced by farmers on farm produce?</p><p><strong>1.5</strong><strong>RESEARCH HYPOTHESES</strong></p><p>The null hypotheses were formulated for the research as follows:</p><p><strong>H</strong><strong>o</strong><strong>:</strong>&nbsp; &nbsp;Climate change has no significant effect on farm produce in agricultural system in Nigeria.</p><p><strong>H</strong><strong>o</strong><strong>:</strong>&nbsp;There is no significant responses to farmers to climate change through possible adaptation models.</p><p><strong>Ho:</strong>&nbsp;There is no significant relationship between the<br>factors responsible for climate change and problems encountered by<br>farmers on farm produce.</p><p><strong>1.6</strong><strong>SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY</strong></p><p>The study reversals the factors responsible for climate change and the effects they have on farm produce.</p><p>The research relates the basic problems encountered by farmers on farm produce through climate change.</p><p>The research reveals alternative models as adaptation options that<br>can be utilized and experimented by farmers in counteracting climate<br>change on farm produce. The study shows the interrelationship of climate<br>change and the problems of farmers on agricultural produce.</p><p>The study will reveal how climate change affect the various crops in<br>farming system and the means that can be adopted to prevent any further<br>damage on such crops.</p><p>The study will relate variably that climate change can pose storage<br>on farm produce thereby affecting the marketing system of agricultural<br>out put and lead to high cost per unit of produce.</p><p>Farmers, agricultural scientists, food technologists, scientists and<br>teachers will device possible solution from this study as a reference<br>materials in tackling and counteracting climate change on farm produce.</p><p>The research serves as a resource knowledge to government in taking<br>necessary steps towards responding to climate change and maintain<br>technology standard in agricultural sector in Nigeria.</p><p><strong>1.7</strong><strong>SCOPE &nbsp;AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY </strong>&nbsp; </p><p>The study is limited to Lagos State Agricultural Supply Input<br>Authority of Ojo Local District Area of Lagos State. A selection of<br>sixty (60) respondents will be made randomly by the researcher. These<br>respondents include male and female alike. They shall be used for<br>collecting respondence as data fro the study.</p><p>The researcher was confronted by major constraints to carry out this research and they include:</p><p>Financial problems, stress, energy wasted by the researcher. And the<br>long distance to be covered and also the pains in selecting and meeting<br>the respondence to gather useful information for the study. </p><p><strong>1.8</strong><strong>DEFINITION OF TERMS</strong></p><p><strong>Farmer:</strong>&nbsp;A person who grows field crops and or manages orchards or vineyards or raises livestock or poultry.</p><p><strong>Agriculture:</strong>&nbsp;refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry and poultry keeping.</p><p><strong>Farm:</strong>&nbsp;A field, for planting crops and harvesting them and also a place meant for raising livestock.</p><p><strong>Forestry:</strong>&nbsp;the science or practice of planting and taking care of tress and forest.</p><p><strong>Climate:</strong>&nbsp;The regular pattern of weather conditions of a particular place.</p><p><strong>Weather:</strong>&nbsp;A set of all the phenomena occurring in a given atmosphere at a given time.</p><br> <br><p></p>