Factors Influencing Cassava Farmers' Choices of Climate Adaptation Strategies in Rainforest Agro-Ecological Zone of Southwest, Nigeria

Abstract— Evidences from literature and past studies have revealed that climate change has influenced agricultural productivity leading to declining global food production. The study was to examine the effect of climate change adaptation strategies on cassava production in Southwest, Nigeria where rain forest agro-ecological zones (AEZ) was chosen for the study. The study used multi-stage sampling procedures, with the aid of well-structured questionnaire, to select 150 cassava producers. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics and multinomial logit model. From the study, it was revealed that cassava farmers in the study area were relatively young, fairly educated, mostly married, well experienced, adequately aware of climate change, but operated on a small scale. Factors influencing the choice of these climate adaptation strategies were; sex, age, farm income, years spent in school, labour availability, amount of credit obtained intensity of temperature. It is therefore recommended that government should provide adequate extension services with knowledgeable and skilled extension agents who are equipped with climate useful information, thereby making the farmers aware about the available adaptation strategies to climate change and the benefits inherent in them; farmers, via extension agents, should be encouraged to use improved varieties of cassava as adaptation strategy in order to achieve increased output and multiple planting dates should be embraced by the cassava farmers.