A Participatory Appraisal of Dry Season Fadama Farming as an Adaptation Measure to Climate Change and Variability in Southern Guinea Zone of Nigeria

Abstract

The use of Fadama particularly for dry season farming in many parts of Nigeria incited the study to assess the possibility of dry season fadama as a viable measure to adjust to the impacts of climate change in a rain-fed agriculture system like Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study were to evaluate the status of Fadama land during the dry season, its threats, opportunities, strengths, and critical weaknesses. Selected fadama farming communities in four local government areas of Agaie, Katcha Lapia and Lavun in Niger state were considered. The study integrated SWOT analysis scheme with the basic tools of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA). The study identified decline in tree cover, loss of fadama wetness and fertility loss as well as drier conditions of fadama as the highly rated critical changes occurring in fadama that alters the adaptive status of fadamaland for dry season farming in the villages with 65%, 71.7%, 84.2 % and 81.8% mean percentages respectively. Finally,the study suggested considerations that are imperative for the adaptive use of fadama as response to climate vagaries in the zone which ranges from proper land use/land cover management, ecological restoration as well as the solidification fadama programmes.