Capacity For Agricultural Adaptation To Climate Change In University Faculties Of Agriculture In South-East Nigeria

Abstract

Adaptation to Climate Change (CC) is the adjustment in natural or human system in response to

actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects. To cushion and curb the devastating impacts

of CC in South East Nigeria, there is great need to build resilience and capacities of institutions

towards more lasting and far reaching approach to CC adaptation. With the phenomenon of CC

becoming so alarming, building adaptive capacity, including providing tools and information,

raising awareness of adaptation options, educating key professionals about CC and investing in

CC science becomes imperative. In this context, individuals as well as collective capacity to put

existing and new knowledge into practice is crucial as capacity includes "abilities, skills,

understandings, attitudes, values, relationships, behaviours, motivations, resources and

conditions that enable individuals, organizations, networks/sectors and broader social systems to

carry out functions and achieve their development objectives over time. Adaptation to CC

therefore, requires information generation and dissemination. The study assessed the capacity for

agricultural adaptation to CC among university faculties of agriculture in South East Nigeria. A

total of 120 respondents were selected using simple random sampling. Percentages, mean scores,

and factor analysis were used in data analysis and presentation. The findings show that the

teaching capacities of the universities to CC adaptation were low. In the same vein, the research

capacities of the universities in CC issues were found to be on the low ebb. These were seen in

the very few numbers of CC researches and activities carried out in the universities. On outreach

capacities of the universities to CC adaptation, it was found to be very poor. However, the

medium most frequently used were posters, fliers, lectures, farm visits/ village outreach and the

use of radio programmes. The respondents’ perceived constraints to building CC agricultural

adaptation in the universities include, poor learning environment, lack of reliable weather

forecast/climate information, lack of proper policy/policy implementation on CC, poor outreach

capacities in terms of human resources on CC, lack of technical and communication facilities,

poor or absence of teaching materials, lack/limited availability of grants and scholarship on CC issues, lack of funds for research on CC, poor funding for teaching etc.