EFFECTS OF SOCIECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS ON CLIMATE CHANGE VULNERABILITY STATUS OF SMALLHOLDER RICE FARMERS IN NORTH CENTRAL NIGERIA

This study assesses the effects of socioeconomic characteristics on climate change vulnerability status of smallholder rice farmers in North-central, Nigeria. Multistage sampling procedure was used to select 270 rice farmers; data collection was done using structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results on socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents’ revealed the mean age of 38 years, majority (71.10%) of male, married (75.9%) farmers with an average household size of 7 persons. Most (91.80%) had formal education and are full-time rice farmers (74.0%) with 13 years of experience, earning ₦142,185 annually from rice. Land acquisition is mostly through inheritance (54.40%) with 1.44 hectares on average. The findings on factors influencing the climate change vulnerability revealed that adaptive capacity is a significant factor (p < 0.00) with a negative coefficient. Policy makers should organize programs aimed at enhancing farmers' adaptive capacity, such as training and capacity building initiatives as recommendation.