Cocoa Farmers’ Coping Strategies for Climate Change Adaptation in Ogun State, Nigeria

Aims: This study sought to identify the personal characteristics, climate adaptation/coping strategies and enterprise characteristics of cocoa farmers in Ogun State, Nigeria. The study also aimed at determining constraints faced by the cocoa farmers in the course of carrying out the coping strategies.

Study Design: Multistage sampling technique.

Place and Duration of Study: Ijebu-Igbo and Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Methodology: This research work examined cocoa farmers’ coping strategies for climate change adaptation in Ogun State, Nigeria. A sample size of 60 respondents was used. Data were collected from selected cocoa farmers with the aid of structured interview schedule and data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The results revealed that the mean age of respondents was 46.5 years, indicating that most of them were still in their active age. The findings also revealed that majority (78.3%) of the respondents were married, while 90.0% of them were educated at various levels. Planting of cocoa under a weeded forest was ranked first in the coping strategies used by the farmers. Poor access to credit facilities was ranked first among the constraint faced by the respondents in the use of adaptation strategies in the study area. However, educational qualification (χ2=22.949, p=0.000) indicated that they were significantly related to the rate of adoption of farmers’ coping strategies to climate change in the study area.

Conclusion: The study established that poor funding, among other challenges was a major constraint to farmers’ adoption of climate change coping strategies. Researchers therefore, need to commence developmental interventions aimed at addressing the identified constraints and work towards the development of drought tolerant cocoa varieties in order to boost cocoa production and improve farmers’ livelihood.