Climate change perception, adaptation strategies, and constraints amongst urban farmers in Anambra Metropolis, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Urban agriculture has been recognized as a climate change and risk reduction strategy. However, it is still unclear how urban farmers perceive climate change and what constraints they encounter in adapting to its impacts. This study aims to understand urban farmers’ perceptions and climate change adaptation constraints in Nigeria. Data were obtained through household surveys using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive and component factor analyses were used in data analysis. The result shows that most urban farmers perceived climate change through its effects on increased weed infestation, drying up of streams/rivers, decrease in soil moisture, etc. Adaptation strategies range from soil and water adaptation options to various adjustments in the farming system. The principal adaptation constraints faced by urban farmers are somewhat diverse in nature and fall within broader institutional, information, and financial constraints. The study reveals that the socioeconomic conditions of urban farmers in developing countries pose a threat to urban agriculture's potential to mitigate climate change. Therefore, there is a need to support urban farmers in developing countries by providing credit facilities and integrating agricultural lands into urban land-use policies.

KEYWORDS:

• Urban agriculture
• climate change adaptation
• principal component analysis

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge Chinenye Vivian Umeh, who assisted in field data collection for this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Cynthia N. Olumba

Cynthia N. Olumba is a lecturer at the Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Her research advances the understanding of nature-society relationships focusing on climate change adaptation and mitigation, gender equality, food security and sustainable land resources management; and the practical and policy mechanisms that can advance climate resilience, land degradation neutrality and sustainable development.

Eberechukwu J. Ihemezie

Eberechukwu J. Ihemezie is a lecturer at the Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. His research is interdisciplinary and uses theories and methods from both the natural and social sciences to understand nature conservation–human value relationships. His areas of research interest include agriculture and natural resource management, biodiversity and ecosystems, forest conservation, and agro-environmental systems.

Chukwudi C. Olumba

Dr Chukwudi C. Olumba is a Researcher at the Department of Agricultural Economics, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki. His research focuses on emergent issues around urban agriculture, food security, food systems transformation, environmental management systems, natural resources (land and water) management, migrant integration strategies and gender equality. He has designed, implemented and analysed data from field surveys across Africa.