Assessment of the Technological Capabilities of Climate Change Actors in Agricultural Innovation System in Southeast Nigeria

Abstract

Effective climate change adaptation and mitigation requires actors who have acquired requisite technological capabilities to efficiently use climate change equipment/information to counter the ravaging impacts of climate change. Technological capability has seven categories namely: investment, production, minor change, major change, learning, strategic marketing and linkage capabilities. The study assessed the technological capability of climate change actors in agricultural innovation system in Southeast Nigeria. Five sub-systems (education, technology transfer, policy, research and farmer) that constitute an agricultural innovation system were identified and the staff in each system served as actors. Statistical analyses of the data show that all the actors except the research sub-system actors lack investment capability in equipment (85%) and human resource development (60%). Traditional learning and linkage capability by which firms enhance their competence were strong among all the actors. Funding/manpower (0.959), organizational (0.785) and weak policy (0.916) related factors influenced the development of technological capabilities of the actors. The study recommends that Government and non governmental agencies like United Nations Development Programme and World Bank should provide adequate funding to the actors in order to enhance the development of their technological capabilities.

Keywords: climate change, technological capabilities, actors, agricultural innovation system, southeast Nigeria