Rice-Self Sufficiency and Farmhouseholds: the Role of Climate Change and Technology Response in Nigeria

Abstract

While the production of rice has shown increasing trend both in area cultivated and output in the last 5 decades, yield appears very low and below the average potential for the major rice producing ecologies. Changes in climate and atmospheric composition can negatively affect food supply at the household level because climatic factors are believed to be the strongest elements influencing crop yield. While Nigeria’s government recognizes climate change adaptation as an important developmental issue and the mainstreaming in economic planning begun, there is little evidence of the integration in the National rice development strategy programme. Climatic conditions can be detrimental or beneficial depending on the level of feasible technology and management choices that are in turn mediated by factors related to the biophysical condition of the farmland, financial resources of the farmer, socio cultural, institutions and information technology.  Realization of rice self-sufficiency at the household level stands at risk because majority of the farmers are economically, socially and politically alienated.

Keywords: climate change, agriculture, adaptation, technology and food security