Farmers’ awareness and perception of climate change impacts: case study of Aguie district in Niger

Abstract

The agricultural sector is the main source of rural households’ food and revenue in Niger, and it contributes approximately 43% to the national GDP. However, there are several constraints to the sector’s development, including negative impacts of climate change. To mitigate these impacts, farmers implement a range of technical strategies. The extent of farmer’s awareness and perceptions of climate change impacts influences these strategies and hence farmers’ level of adaptation. This study was undertaken to assess farmers’ awareness and perceptions of climate change impacts in Aguie Department, Niger Republic. Descriptive statistics and a regression model were used for data analysis. The results from a descriptive analysis show that the majority of respondents (84.4%) were aware of climate risks, but had differing perceptions of climate change impacts on production and annual revenue. A regression test revealed that climate-related information is highly significant in determining farmers’ awareness of climate change impacts. Most of the respondents reported negative impacts from climate change, and the majority, therefore, adjusted their farming system, albeit at different levels. A probit analysis shows that awareness, perception, education, crop production, soil fertility and annual revenue are highly influential on farmers’ climate change impacts adaptation. This research highlights farmer awareness and perceptions as key factors in the climate change impacts adaptation debate. The findings reveal that effective adaptation to climate change impacts is highly dependent on the extent of community awareness and how farmers perceive the impacts of climate change. The study highlights that institutions targeting households’ livelihood improvement and making decisions concerning climate change adaptation need to focus on media outreach in local languages, improving locally adapted extension services, and developing water use efficiency measures such as improved irrigation for effective and long-term adaptation.