2012\JHE-2346.Pmd

$2012\JHE-2346.Pmd$ © Kamla-Raj 2012 J Hum Ecol, 40(1): 33-41 (2012) Vulnerability of Peasant Cocoa Farmers to Climate Change in South-west Nigeria Abayomi Samuel Oyekale Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, North-West University Mafikeng Campus, Mmabatho, 2735 South Africa E-mail: [email protected] KEYWORDS Climate Change. Cocoa. Nigeria. Vulnerability ABSTRACT Vulnerability of farmers to climate change has recently occupied a central place in research endeavours. This study focused on cocoa as one of the highly vulnerable crops to climate change. Data were collected using multi-stage random sampling of 513 farmers. Factor analysis and the ordinary least square regression were used for data analysis. Results show that at p<0.10, years of education, dependency ratio, age, cocoa as primary crop, primary occupation, other member sick, missed regular spraying due to illness, number of cocoa farms, farm ownership type, proportion of land covered with cocoa, age of cocoa trees, year of cocoa rehabilitation, climate affects health, ownership of bicycle, ownership of vehicle and access to extension services have statistically significant influence on climatic change vulnerability. The study recommended adequate education, youth involvements, and rural market development among others, for addressing climate change vulnerability. INTRODUCTION some natural hazards. In some other context, risk and vulnerability to environmental change have The dominant role of agriculture in many generally considered resources such as land or developing countries, and its primary depen- economic assets as the object of analysis, while dence on rainfall make it obvious that a small some climatic factors act as subject of risk. Also, climatic instability can cause some devastating some disciplines have attempted to examine the socio-economic consequences (Medugu 2009). various aspects of social vulnerability, often in In Nigeria, agriculture as the dominant sector of the context of vulnerability to famine the economy contributed 41.84 percent to the United Nations (2004) distinguished four Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2009 (Nation- groups of vulnerability factors that are relevant al Bureau of Statistics (NBS) 2009) out of which in the context of disaster reduction. The first is cocoa accounted for about 27 percent (Gumm the physical factors which describe the expo- 2010). Despite current rapid urbanization, more sure of vulnerable elements within a region. The than half of the Nigerian population still lives in second is economic factors which describe the rural areas and primarily depends on farming for economic resources of individuals, populations their livelihoods {United States Agency for In- groups, and communities. Social factors is the ternational Development (USAID) 2003}. Some third and they describe non-economic factors statistics have shown that about 70 percent of that determine the well-being of individuals, the total labour force is engaged in agriculture populations groups, and communities, such as and related activities (Adejuwon 2004). the level of education, security, access to basic Accordingly, Nigeria’s home-grown pover- human rights, and good governance. The fourth ty reduction document - National Economic Em- is the environmental factors that describe the powerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) state of the environment within a region. All of - emphasized adequate agricultural development these factors describe properties of the vulnera- as a priority for enhancing peasant farmers’ pro- ble system or community rather than of the ex- ductivity {Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) ternal stressors. 2004}. It has also been realized that because of Hassan (2003) submitted that agro-ecosys- high poverty level, Nigerian farmers exhibit some tems in Africa are most vulnerable to climate vulnerability to several adverse economic, envi- change. It was noted that climate is already hot ronmental and climatic shocks. in most parts of Africa with crop productivity Blaikie (1994) described vulnerability as the decline, higher demand for land conversion and characteristics of a person or group to antici- irrigation, increased intensification, higher de- pate, cope, resist and recover from the impact of pendence on agriculture livelihoods, low ability 34 ABAYOMI SAMUEL OYEKALE of African farmers to adapt, limited access to Objectives of the Study capital and technological options and poor public infrastructure (roads, information, research, This study seeks to fulfill the following ob- extension). jectives: Füssel (2009) submitted that the scientific i. Describe the nature of climatic change use of ‘vulnerability’ has its roots in geography parameters that households have recent- and natural hazards research. However, it was ly observed. noted that the term is now a central concept in a ii. Construct indices of vulnerability and variety of research contexts such as natural haz- provide a village-level spatial descrip- ards and disaster management, ecology, public tion. health, poverty and development, secure liveli- iii. Determine the factors that influence com- hoods and famine, sustainability science, land puted vulnerability. change, and climate impacts and adaptation. The working hypothesis is that vulnerabili- Vulnerability is conceptualized in very different ty to climate is the same across gender, across ways by scholars from different knowledge do- educational groups and different household siz- mains, and even within the same domain. For es. instance, natural scientists and engineers tend to apply the term in a descriptive manner where- MATERIAL AND METHODS as social scientists tend to use it in the context of a specific explanatory model (O’Brien et al. Data Sources and Sampling Procedures 2004; Gow 2005). Füssel (2009) submitted that the most prom- Cocoa is largely grown in the southwestern inent interpretations of vulnerability in the cli- part of Nigeria. Data for the study were derived mate change context are contextual vulnerabili- from both primary and secondary sources. Pri- ty and outcome vulnerability. These interpreta- mary data were collected from a representative tions of vulnerability are based on different con- household survey that was conducted in three ceptual frameworks and are based on different (3) cocoa producing states in southwest Nige- rankings that suggest different strategies for reducing vulnerability. Contextual vulnerability ria. The primary data were obtained through a is rooted in political economy. It is determined multi-stage sampling procedure. In the first exclusively by internal characteristics of the stage, three cocoa growing states were random- vulnerable system or community that determine ly selected from the six states that make up its propensity to harm for a wide range of haz- southwest Nigeria. The selected states were ards. Outcome vulnerability represents an inte- Ondo, Osun and Ekiti. The second stage in- grated vulnerability concept that combines involved the random selection of some major co- formation on potential climate impacts and on coa producing Local Government Areas (LGAs). the socio-economic capacity to cope and adapt These include, Ile-Oluji/Oke Igbo, Owo and (O’Brien et al. 2004; O’Brien et al. 2007; Füssel Idanre LGAs in Ondo state, were randomly se- 2007). lected. In Osun state, Aiyedaade, Irewole, Iso- In some previous studies, Blaikie et al. (1994) kanAtakumosaWest LGAs were selected. and highlighted some social factors that are involved IseOrun, Gbonyin, Ekiti East and Ikole LGAs in in collective vulnerability as gender and ethnic Ekiti state were selected. In the 3rd stage, a list factor. Also, Adger and Kelly (1998) highlighted of cocoa growing villages from each of the LGAs the role of credit in recovery from stress and were compiled from where specific numbers of disruption of livelihoods. Adger (1996) justified cocoa farm households were sampled in propor- the focus on absolute poverty as variable for tion to the estimated number of cocoa farmers climate change vulnerability because it exacer- that existed in those villages. Being the highest bates vulnerability through the mechanisms of cocoa growing state, a total of 282 question- lack of resources for handling external shocks, naires were administered in Ondo state and 106 correlation of poverty to disempowerment, lack and 125 in Ekiti and Osun states respectively. of access to resources when shocks occur, and The distribution of the respondents according the reliance of the poor on communal and other to states, LGAs and villages is presented in Ta- resources which may be more physically vul- ble 1. Also, secondary data on weather variables nerable to external shocks. available from the Nigerian Meteorological VULNERABILITY OF PEASANT COCOA FARMERS TO CLIMATE CHANGE 35 Agencies along with soil data contained in sev- With j being the estimated parameters, Z i eral soil map data for the selected states were are the explanatory variables with sex (male =1, 0 used. otherwise), years of education, household size, dependency ratio (number of household mem- Construction of Climate Change bers that are less than 15/Number that are more Vulnerability Indices and its Correlates than 15 years old), age of household head (years), cocoa as primary crop (yes =1, 0 other- Indices of climate change vulnerability were wise), primary occupation is farming (yes =1, 0 computed using information sought on those otherwise), number of time the farmer was sick weather variables that have recently had adverse during the cropping

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