Abstract
In Niger, agriculture is very sensitive to climatic hazards. This research provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of climate change on agricultural yield and adaptation strategies adopted by farmers. We characterize climate parameters (temperature, precipitation, dry spells). A principal component analysis is conducted to determine the relationship between climate parameters and agricultural yield. We conducted qualitative field surveys with local farmers to confirm the impacts of climate change on their farming systems and the different adaptation strategies. The results obtained indicate a concordance between farmers’ perception of climate change and meteorological observations concerning the irregularities on rainfall, the increase of maximum and minimum temperature (+1.33˚C, +1.24˚C; 90%), and the delay on rainy season onset (97%) over the past 40 years. The principal component analysis shows a correlation between agricultural yields of sorghum and millet with parameters such as annual rainfall, length of the rainy season, date of end of the rainy season, and in some cases spells at the end of the season over the last 30 years. Farmers have adopted measures to strengthening resilience of their farming systems such as the farmers managed natural regeneration (88.5%), the use of improved varieties (84.6%), integrated soil fertility management options (75.9%), irrigation (41.7%), and reforestation (37.9%). The findings of this research contribute to the broader understanding of climate change impacts and adaptation measures.
Presenters
Issiaka Maman BizoStudent, PhD, West African Science Services Center for Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), Niamey, Niger
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Assessing Impacts in Diverse Ecosystems
KEYWORDS
CLIMATE CHANGE, CLIMATE PARAMETERS, IMPACTS, YIELD, ADAPTATION STRATEGIES
