This paper examines farmers’perceptions of their exposure to climate change in rural northern Nigeria.It also examines whether there is a significant relationship between the exposure of farmers to climate change and...This paper examines farmers’perceptions of their exposure to climate change in rural northern Nigeria.It also examines whether there is a significant relationship between the exposure of farmers to climate change and their need for financial access as an adaptation strategy.Questionnaires were administered to 320 respondents in rural communities in northern Nigeria.Descriptive analysis shows that rural farmers are affected by climate change through increased temperature,prolonged dry seasons,floods,and drought,which lead to low harvest and,in turn,low income.An estimate from a non-parametric test also shows a significant relationship between farmers’perceived exposure to climate change and their need for credit.Although the Spearman correlation results show a 63%association between exposure to climate change and the need for finance,96%of those seeking credit to mitigate these impacts would be unable to do so due to financial exclusiveness.The paper recommends that the Central Bank of Nigeria should ensure that microfinance institutions refocus their products/services to those who need them the most in order to enhance access to financial resources and enable farmers to build resilience that will maximize post-harvest gains.Lastly,considering that climate change is a global phenomenon with local effects,perhaps the international community could support lending to smallholder farmers through central banks by insuring the loans that banks give to farmers towards financing climate change adaptation strategies.展开更多
基金This paper benefits from the Graduate Research Programme in Climate Change Economics fund provided by the German Federal Ministry of Education(BMBF)in collaboration with the Zentrum für Entwicklungsforschung(ZEF)/Centre for Development Research,Department for Economic and Technological,Universität Bonn,Bonn-Germany under the West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use(WASCAL)hosted at the Universite Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar,Senegal.
文摘This paper examines farmers’perceptions of their exposure to climate change in rural northern Nigeria.It also examines whether there is a significant relationship between the exposure of farmers to climate change and their need for financial access as an adaptation strategy.Questionnaires were administered to 320 respondents in rural communities in northern Nigeria.Descriptive analysis shows that rural farmers are affected by climate change through increased temperature,prolonged dry seasons,floods,and drought,which lead to low harvest and,in turn,low income.An estimate from a non-parametric test also shows a significant relationship between farmers’perceived exposure to climate change and their need for credit.Although the Spearman correlation results show a 63%association between exposure to climate change and the need for finance,96%of those seeking credit to mitigate these impacts would be unable to do so due to financial exclusiveness.The paper recommends that the Central Bank of Nigeria should ensure that microfinance institutions refocus their products/services to those who need them the most in order to enhance access to financial resources and enable farmers to build resilience that will maximize post-harvest gains.Lastly,considering that climate change is a global phenomenon with local effects,perhaps the international community could support lending to smallholder farmers through central banks by insuring the loans that banks give to farmers towards financing climate change adaptation strategies.
