Measures for Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change on Crop Production in Nigeria

This paper examined the causes, effects and measures for mitigating climate change to ensure

adequate supply of food through crop production to address the food insecurity which has occupied

a central focus of the Nigerian economy. Unfortunately, crop production is fraught with many

ecological challenges including climate change. This climate change which occurs as a result of the

buildup of Green House Gases (GHGs) occasioned by industrialization, technological modeling and

agriculture, exert significant effects on crop yield, water availability, ecosystem disequilibrium

resulting in cases of drought, flood earthquake among others. For crop production to be scaled-up

to meet the food requirement of the ever growing Nigerian population amidst these challenges,

there is need to mitigate these adverse effects of climate change through the adoption of sustainable

land management practices that can reduce the atmospheric stock of GHGs such as zero-tillage,

appropriate use of fertilizers, avoidance of bush burning, graze land management, improved water

management among others. Achieving great success in these areas requires that Nigerian government

should be more proactive in their policies that hold promise for sustainable cultures in

agricultural production as well as evolving global partnerships on ecological issues.