Survival Strategies for Climate Change Induced Stress Among Women Farmers in Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

Benue State, Nigeria was submerged by flood in the year 2012. The women farmers in the State were hardly hit by that ugly event. The study investigated the survival strategies used by the women in coping with the challenge.  A simple random sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 120 women farmers. Data were collected through the use of structured interview schedule and analyzed using percentage. The results showed that the losses the women faced ranges from loss of houses (60.0%), farmland (60.0%) to loss of human lives (10.0%). As means of surviving the flood, some (35.0%) of the respondents resorted to begging alms, migration to neighboring communities (30.0%) while a majority (70.0%) are left to fate without any meaningful survival strategies. The study recommends that Benue state Government, Non-Governmental Organization and well spirited individual should take a census of the affected women and disburse some funds to them as this will help to economically empower them.

Keywords: climate change, strategies, women farmers, stress, Benue State.