Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges facing the world today, especially for developing countries like Nigeria that depend largely on agriculture for food security, income, and employment. According to the World Bank, Nigeria is among the most vulnerable countries to climate change impacts, such as rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, droughts, floods, and pest infestations.
These impacts threaten to undermine the productivity and profitability of the agricultural sector, which contributes about 25% of the country’s GDP and employs about 70% of the labor force.
To cope with these challenges and ensure sustainable development, Nigeria needs to adopt climate-smart agriculture (CSA), an integrated approach that aims to increase agricultural productivity, enhance resilience to climate variability and change, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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CSA is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but rather a context-specific set of practices and technologies that can be tailored to different agro-ecological zones and socio-economic conditions. Some examples of CSA practices and technologies include:
Climate-resilient crop varieties: These are crops that have been bred or genetically modified to withstand drought, heat, salinity, pests, and diseases. For instance, researchers from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) have developed improved varieties of cassava, maize, cowpea, yam, and banana that can cope with climate stress and yield more than conventional varieties.
Conservation agriculture: This is a set of techniques that aim to conserve soil health and water resources by minimizing soil disturbance, maintaining soil cover, and diversifying crop rotations. Conservation agriculture can improve soil fertility, water retention, erosion control, and carbon sequestration, while reducing labor and input costs.
Agroforestry: This is a system that integrates trees with crops and/or livestock on the same land. Agroforestry can provide multiple benefits such as enhancing soil quality, diversifying income sources, providing fodder and fuelwood, creating microclimates, and sequestering carbon.
Precision farming: This is a system that uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as sensors, drones, satellites, mobile phones, and artificial intelligence to monitor and manage crop production. Precision farming can help farmers optimize inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and water, while increasing yields and reducing environmental impacts.
Water management: This is a set of strategies that aim to improve water availability and efficiency for irrigation and other purposes. Water management can include rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation, mulching, water recycling, and watershed management.
The benefits of CSA in Nigeria are manifold. First, CSA can boost food production and security by increasing crop yields and quality, diversifying food sources, and reducing post-harvest losses. According to a study by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), CSA could increase Nigeria’s cereal production by 24% by 2050 compared to a business-as-usual scenario.
Second, CSA can enhance resilience and adaptation by reducing exposure and sensitivity to climate risks, strengthening coping and recovery capacities, and diversifying livelihood options. For example, a project by the World Bank-supported West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP) has helped over 200,000 farmers in Nigeria adopt CSA practices such as improved seeds, conservation agriculture, and agroforestry, resulting in increased incomes and reduced vulnerability to climate shocks.
Third, CSA can mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by reducing deforestation, enhancing carbon sinks in soils and biomass, and promoting low-carbon energy sources. According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Nigeria has the potential to reduce its agricultural emissions by 34% by 2030 through CSA interventions.
However, despite these benefits, CSA adoption in Nigeria faces several barriers such as lack of awareness among farmers and policymakers; lack of supportive policies and incentives; lack of access to finance; lack of extension services; lack of infrastructure; lack of markets; lack of research; lack of coordination; and socio-cultural factors. To overcome these barriers and promote uptake and integration of CSA into policy and practice in Nigeria.