Climate Change and Nigeria's Development: The Challenges and the Prospects of Agricultural Adaptation

Abstract

The continued slide in the price of crude oil has had a devastating effect on the socio-economic development of Nigeria. This has engendered with greater sense of urgency the need to diversify the nation's economy. An important aspect of the diversification efforts is the agricultural sector which in the past was the mainstay of the nation's economy. Today, however, this sector which is dominated by smallholders is further faced with even greater challenges posed to it by climate change with even greater consequences for the socio-economic development of Nigeria. Indeed, there is today an overwhelming scientific consensus that global climate is changing with unusual rapidity and negative consequences. In spite of these consensuses, there is an apparent denial of or at best lukewarm attitude to, the challenges posed by climate change among third world nations, nay Nigeria, who see climate change as the problem of developed economies. This paper takes off from the established scientific consensuses and examines the dialectical relation between climate change and Agriculture with particular reference to Nigeria where responses to climate change has been very slow. It examines the socio-economic impact of the slow response, identifies the challenges facing agricultural adaptation to climate change in Nigeria, investigates how the dominantly smallholder farmers are adapting to the changes, and interrogates the extent to which the measures and government policies meet the challenges of climate change. It finally makes recommendations based on the findings.