The study assessed farmers perception of the effects of climate change and coping strategies in three agro-ecological zones of Nigeria. Three agro-ecological zones namely Middle-Belt, North-Central and NorthEast were purposively selected and one LGA where NAERLS extension model village is located was purposively selected from each of the 3 agro-ecological zones. One village was randomly selected in addition to the NAERLS model village. Twenty five farmers were randomly selected from each village. One hundred and fifty (150) validated structured questionnaires were used to elicit information from respondents. Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Farmers were fully aware of the effect of climate change and possible coping strategies such as the need for agricultural insurance, planting of drought and flood tolerant varieties and reduction of water loss through practices such as mulching and rearing of heat tolerant livestock. General perception was that climate change increases the rate of sickness/infection, reduces family income and that frequency of flood and that drought has increased. Chi-square analysis indicated a positive and significant relationship between perception of climate change and agro-ecology (X 2 =23.52; p<0.05), age(X 2 =5.98; p<0.05), educational level(X 2 =6.47; p<0.05), coping strategy(X 2 =23.29; p<0.05) and communities(X 2 =37.36; p<0.05). It was recommended that efforts should be geared towards developing and making available crop varieties and livestock breeds that are tolerant to adverse conditions associated to climate change such as diseases, flood, drought and temperature. A multi-media enlightenment campaign of the effects and possible coping strategies of climate change should be adopted by all tiers of government and NGOs to reach the farmers using available extension structure on ground. Also, farming communities can run local disaster risk committees to encourage local adaptation measures as survival tactics for the purpose of ensuring food security.

Field trial was conducted in 2006, 2007 and 2008 wet seasons, at the Institute for Agricultural Research Farm, Samaru in the Northern Guinea savanna of Nigeria to determine the effects of nitrogen and sulfur fertilizers on nitrogen uptake of quality protein maize (QPM) varieties. Treatments consisted of four (4) rates each of nitrogen (0, 60,120 and 180 kg N/ha) and sulfur fertilizer (0, 5, 10 and 15 kg S/ha) and two QPM varieties (Obatampa and EV -99), laid out in a split plot design with variety and nitrogen in the main plots and sulfur in the sub plots and replicated three times. The results show that varietal differences influenced soil and flag leaf nitrogen in 2006 and 2008 respectively. Nitrogen application did not affect nitrogen content in the soil at all the three years of the trial. However, Ear, Flag and Grain nitrogen content was affected by nitrogen application. Sulfur application influenced soil, ear leaf, flag leaf and grain nitrogen content in different years of the study.

No abstract

Animals are intrinsically dependent on the environment, and any fluctuations in weather and climate can affect them through water and land changes, such as desertification, feed and water availability. Climate change will not only impact the health and welfare of animals, but also the more than a billion people who depend on them. This study was therefore aimed at evaluating the adaptive measures used by rural farmers to alleviate the effect of climate change on small ruminant (sheep and goats) production in rural Nigeria. The target population for this study was all the small ruminant farmers in the five agro-ecological zones of Nigeria. A total of 300 respondents were interviewed using validated structured interview schedule. Data were analyzed using frequency counts, means and percentage. The result shows that most (71.9%) of the respondents were adults between 20 and 50 years of age. About 35% keep sheep and goats together while others keep either of the species. The most preferred management system is semi-extensive system (64%). Majority (93.2%) of small ruminant farmers in the rural Nigeria were aware of what climate change is all about and about 54% of them had observed changes in climage through personal experience.Majority of them had also observed and attributed changes to effect of climate change on their flock. Majority of them have also used various strategies to combat climate change. Traditional health care and irrigation of pasture during dry season were not effective adaptive strategies to combat climate change.There is need to educate the farmers more on the possible effect of climate change through the use of radio and other extension organizations (government and non-governmental) on the current situation and implication of climate change on themselves and their animals

An experiment was conducted to assess the yield and yield components of QPM genotypes to plant population under irrigated conditions in a semi arid ecology of Northern Nigeria. Field trials were conducted at the Irrigation Research Station, Institute for Agricultural Research, Kadawa (11° 39′N, 08° 20′E) and 500 m above sea level) during dry seasons 2007, 2008 and 2009 to study the effect of (Zea mays L.) genotypes (TZE-W Pop X 1368, EV-DT W99 STR and DMR-ESRW), four plant population (33333, 44444, 55555 and 66666 plants ha -1 ) and three irrigation scheduling (40, 60 and 80 centibars soil moisture tension) on the growth and yield of quality protein maize. A split plot design was used with combinations of genotypes and irrigation regimes assigned to the main plot and plant population assigned to the sub-plot. The treatments were replicated three times. The study revealed that genotype EV-DT W99 STR had significantly higher weight of ears per plant, cob length, cob diameter, number of rows per cob, 100 grain weight, grain yield, shelling percentage and harvest index than the other two genotypes used in the trial. Irrigating at 40 and 60 centibars significantly increased weight of ears per plant, while delayed irrigation significantly depressed total dry matter production. Based on the results obtained in this study, it can be concluded that the use of genotype EV-DT W99 STR, at 60 centibars irrigation scheduling and population of 55,555 plants ha -1 had resulted in good agro-physiological characters of QPM at Kadawa.