Food Security & Climate Change Adaptation Planning for Fish Farming in Nigeria
Hello !
Recall, that in June 13, 2022, I shared my submission for the peer-reviewed assignment I was given while taking the course Climate Adaptation in Africa. Here we are in the 6th and final week, and I have another peer-reviewed assignment to share. During the 3rd week, I considered climate change and how it might affect food security. Now, I’m considering adaptation options for mitigating the effects of climate change. Interesting right?
My place of investigation is Nigeria (particularly the Niger Delta and Benue State located in North Central Nigeria). Some food products or farming activities impacted by climate change linked to food security in Nigeria include: (1)Fishing and Fish Farming, (2)Yam (Dioscorea spp.) and (3) Chili Pepper.
Brief Description of Food Products Linked to Food Security
Fish farming is significantly affected by climate change. Increased temperature, shift in rainfall regime, changes in weather pattern, the deterioration of water quality and extreme climate events such as flood and drought are all having an impact. Similarly, Climate change and variability are threatening yam production in Nigeria. This is shown in the detrimental effects on crop growth and yield. Even though the yam crop thrives and produces well in Nigeria, it has shown diverse growth patterns and varying yields in different years due to variances in annual weather conditions. An increase in global temperatures due to climate change has altered the timing and amount of rainfall and availability of water leading to the frequent occurrence of weather extremes such as drought and floods. The drought condition adversely affects the germination of seeds and also has other adverse effects on crop growth and development.
Adaptation Options
With a concentration on Fishing and Fish Farming, 3 proposed adaptation options are:
· Monitoring and Changing of Pond Water
· Siting Fish Ponds Far from Flood Prone Areas
· Livelihood diversification
Adaptation 1: Monitoring and Changing of Pond Water — Variations in water quality parameters can have an impact on fish’s physical, physiological, and biological performance, causing stress. The quality of pond water is deteriorating due to rising temperatures and an associated decrease in dissolved oxygen in pond water, followed by frequent flooding and acidification of rainwater in the Niger Delta. This causes stress, reduces feeding, and results in the death of farmed fish. Many fish farmers naturally respond by constantly monitoring and changing the water in their ponds. In the Niger region, fish farmers monitor pond water by observing fish for signs of lethargy (gasping for air at the surface of the water, abnormal swimming patterns, and reduced physical activities) and responding by changing pond water.
Adaptation 2: Siting Fish Ponds Far from Flood Prone Areas — Another common adaptation strategy is to locate fish ponds away from flood prone areas. Flooding is a significant threat to fish farming in Nigeria and other developing countries. When there is a flood, ponds receive run-off water, which usually overflows built barriers and sweeps fish away, leaving debris that is harmful to the remaining fish. This is common in the Niger Delta, and fish farmers have discovered that locating fish ponds far from flood-prone areas and constructing strong flood-protection barriers are effective measures for managing flood-related climate risks.
Adaptation 3: Livelihood diversification — is another significant adaptation effort by Niger Delta fish farmers. Many farmers use this option as a climate risk management strategy. Pursuing a single source of income puts fish farmers at risk when a shock occurs, so many fish farmers in Nigeria combine fish farming with other sources of income such as petty trading, crop and poultry farming, and artisan work. Diversification into other sources of income is an important strategy for increasing resilience and managing climate risks.
Criteria for Evaluating the Proposed Adaptation Options
Three criteria for evaluating the proposed adaptation options listed above include:
· Criteria A: Educational attainment of farmers
· Criteria B: Household size
· Criteria C: Farmers Income and access to credit
Criteria A: Educational attainment of farmers significantly increases the likelihood of siting ponds far from flood-prone areas, and livelihood diversification. Livelihood and fish diversification are important risk management measures which the educated farmers practice more because of their knowledge and skills. In Nigeria, farmers with a higher level of education are usually engaged in different livelihood activities with the objective of diversifying their income and managing the impact of shock on any of their activities. Higher educational attainment therefore enhances fish farmers’ adoption of climate risk management measures.
Criteria B: Household size has a significant effect on livelihood diversification and siting fish ponds far from flood-prone areas. Household size decreases uptake of early warning information about climate risks, siting fish ponds far from flood-prone areas, but enhances uptake of livelihood diversification. In Nigeria and many parts of Africa, active and productive household members usually engage in various livelihood activities to raise income for family upkeep.
Criteria C: Farmers Income and access to credit — Farmers’ income and access to credit significantly increases the adoption of livelihood diversification. This adaptation strategy (livelihood diversification) requires sufficient financial well-being for adoption, which explains why farmers with higher incomes and better access to credit would adopt this strategy more than their poorer counterparts with less access to credit.
URLs to the documents used as sources
Robert Ugochukwu Onyeneke, Mark Umunna Amadi, Chukwudi Loveday Njoku, Emeka Emmanuel Osuji, Climate Change Perception and Uptake of Climate-Smart Agriculture in Rice Production in Ebonyi State, Nigeria, Atmosphere, 10.3390/atmos12111503, 12, 11, (1503), (2021).
Onyeneke, R.U., Iruo, F.A. and Ogoko, I.M. (2012). Micro-level analysis of determinants of farmers’ adaptation measures to climate change in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria: lessons from Bayelsa State, Nigerian Journal of Agricultural Economics 3, 9– 18.
