Today it is widely agreed that climate change is a reality by scientific community. The rate
and duration of warming observed during the twentieth century are unprecedented in the past
thousand years. a drastic rise in global temperatures has become evident. Increases in
maximum temperature, number of hot days and the heat index have been observed nearly all
lands during the second half of the twentieth century. It is observed that in next 50 years
global warming will increase to the detriment of the world’s population because climate
change is one of humanity’s greatest challenges. Weather conditions like droughts, floods
and cyclones will occur more frequently due to the reason behind causing insecureness such
as in living conditions, food shortage and forced migration. From these evidences it can be
observed that warming over fifty years can be attributed to human activities. Climate change
is one of the most serious environmental threats facing mankind worldwide. It also affects the
agriculture in several ways, including its direct impact on food production. Climate change,
which is attributable to the natural climate cycle can affect agriculture such as in Africa.
The Rising fossil fuel which are burned and the land use changes have emitted, and are still
continued to emit, which increases the quantity of greenhouse gases into the Earth’s
atmosphere. These greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane(CH4) and nitrogen
dioxide (N2O),ozone (O3), chlorofluorocarbon(CFC), water vapour and increase in these
gases results in increase in the amount of heat from the sun in the Earth’s atmosphere, heat
which normally be trapped back into space. This increase in heat has led to the greenhouse
effect which results in climate change. The main characteristics of climate change are
increases in average global temperature (global warming); reshape in cloud cowl and
precipitation specifically over land; melting of ice caps and glaciers and decreased in no. of
snow cover and rises in the ocean temperatures and ocean acidity – due to seawater
absorbing heat. Global warming is a human-caused phenomenon due to an increase in carbon
dioxide-emissions and other greenhouse gases (GHG) into the earth’s atmosphere. A tough
body of clinical evidence supports this interrelation, which was uncovered in 1824 by the
French scientist like Jean Baptist ,Joseph Fourier etc. It seems to be CO2 and other GHGs in
the atmosphere entrap area of the outgoing photo voltaic radiation, thereby increasing the
temperature. This kind of natural "greenhouse effect" ensures which our planet remains
habitable and maintains a balanced temperature. It shows that climate change is a global. If
we take example of Africa, Nigeria which are developing countries , they have adverse effect
due to low level of coping capability. If the planet warms or the temperature rises, the
shifting pattern of the rainfall and extreme calamities such as drought, flood, fire in the forest
which converts in poor and unpredictable yields. Hence these situation makes farmer more
vulnerable specifically in Africa and the farmers (bulk of poor known in Africa) suffer many
problems such as crop failure, reduces agricultural productivity which makes them hunger
and cause certain disease and malnutrition. It was predicted that till 2050 productivity in
Africa may fall 10-20% or even up to 50% due to climatic change because Agriculture of
Africa predominantly rain fed and therefore depends upon vagaries of weather. People
because of starvation tried to overcome poverty, grows standard of living, their livelihood.
These circumstances threatens to deepen vulnerability.
Twenty-eight years ago, in 1988 the Unified Nations Environment Program and the World
Meteorological Firm initiated a panel of experts, the Inter governmental Panel on Climate
Alter (IPCC). The relevant issues of the IPCC are to gather an in evaluate scientific evidence
of global warming, to spot the several causes and monitor the development of human-induced
global warming. Global climate change generally increases rapid rate and a further increase
in global temperature is irreversible until approximately 2030, no matter present CO2-
emissions. Climate change is a problem causing from long-term accumulation of CO2-
emissions in the global atmosphere and it is nearly impossible to predict the timing and
magnitude of future implications. However, it is possible to confirm that the global warming
we are experiencing at this time also late back to individual actions within the carry on
decades. To reverse around the world we need to action immediately and therefore or the
window of opportunity for successful mitigation will close.
The climate change is already making impact on the lives of the population particularly the
poor specially farmers. It is believed that agriculture is the most susceptible sector to climate
change. Climate change indirectly affects the agriculture by influencing emergence and
distribution of crop pests and livestock diseases, exacerbating the frequency and distribution
of adverse weather condition supplies less water and irrigation and enhancing severity of soil
erosion. There is intrasectoral and intersectoral variation in vulnerability depending on
location, adaptive capacity and other socioeconomic and environmental factor. India has a
huge population living close to the forest with their livelihoods linked to the forest
ecosystem. People living in these forest fringe villages depend upon forest for a variety of
goods and services. These includes collection of edible fruits, flower, tubers, roots and leaves
for food and medicine ;firewood for cooking ; materials for agricultural implements, house
construction and fencing; fodder for livestock and grazing of livestock in forest; and
collection of a range of marketable non- timber forests products. These forest products and its
impact on local forest found that local livelihood dependence results in degradation .
Therefore the livelihood concerns of the millions of poor people living in and around the
forest. The important policy is to improve regional cooperation amongst government and has
to address the climate changes issues by ensuring effective implementation of national
adaptation and mitigation strategies and of current and future funding mechanism to address
climate changes. And there are opportunity in three categories of migration strategies that is –
carbon sequestration into soils, on farm emission reduction and emission displacements from
the transport sector through bio fuel production. Here comes the process adaptation which
means adaptation is a method through which societies make themselves higher capable of
deal with an unsure destiny. Adapting to climate exchange involves taking the right measures
to lessen the negative consequences of weather alternate (or take advantage of the wonderful
ones) with the aid of making the right adjustments. There are many options and opportunities
to conform. those variety from technological options inclusive of accelerated sea defenses or
flood-evidence houses on stilts, to behaviour alternate at the individual stage, which includes
reducing water use in instances of drought and using insecticide-sprayed mosquito nets.
Different techniques include early warning structures for extreme occasions, better water
management, improved chance management, diverse coverage options and biodiversity
conservation.
Impact on livelihood- The effect of price rises cannot be viewed in isolation. Climatic
uncertainty can lead farmers to try plant more and more often, which increases the work
burden – especially for women – and costs due to the need to buy more seeds or hire labour.
Rising temperature and humidity also have directs effects on people ability to work outdoors
for long periods.
Now If we begin with hunger and poverty- Agriculture in Nigeria is predominantly inside the
hands of rural smallholder farmers, who've been commonly described as poor and hungry.
Moreover, since the discovery of oil in Nigeria, the attention of the government has been
diverted far from agriculture to petroleum resource improvement. We shall next recall
authorities investment for agricultural science and technology as a task to weather change
model. Similarly, there are conventional farming practices that the standard Nigerian farmer
is aware of, which he/she might also discover that it is hard to regulate or change, even
though these can also pose severe challenges to weather change adaptation.
Recommendation is that- Farmers have to additionally have ordinary facts on present day
problems associated with weather change and agriculture. this will be accomplished through
the strengthening of the country’s extension services perhaps by means of devolving the bulk
of the services down to the local councils, that is closer to the farmers, and encouraging
farmers to form farmer agencies for enhanced capacity through institution efforts. this can
help them take advantage of the internet.
Conclusion -
Government and the personal zone, which should power the rural quarter via consistent
policies, sturdy funding and infrastructure improvement, have failed to accord agricultural
model the concern it deserves. Furthermore, the predicted gain from change liberalization has
didn't trickle all the way down to the African farmer. Further, the farmers were slow in
converting their farming practices inclusive of bush burning, deforestation, rain-fed
agriculture and land tenure systems, and they lack the considered necessary education,
information and schooling necessary to adapt to weather exchange. these demanding
situations need urgent interest by the relevant government due to the fact the troubles of
climate change are already with us.
