The Nexus and Impact of Climate Change on Food Production in Nigeria
I’m glad you are here. It clearly indicates that you are eager to learn more about the subject.
I’m currently enrolled in a course titled “Climate Adaptation in Africa.” I was assigned a project to be graded by my peers during the third week. The project is expected to address climate change and food security. I finished the peer-reviewed assignment and decided to share it with my distinguished audience.
My place of investigation is Nigeria (particularly the Niger Delta and Benue State located in North Central Nigeria). In terms of the effects of climate change, Nigeria is not immune to the rest of the world. Climate change effects have been felt throughout Nigeria’s vegetative regions. According to research, climate change is becoming a severe danger to agricultural productivity in Nigeria. Droughts, excessive precipitation, floods of farmlands, rising temperatures, increasing aridity and soil acidity, changes in relative humidity, and increased evaporation, among other factors, have a negative impact on agricultural production and food systems in Nigeria.
Some food products or farming activities impacted by climate change linked to food security in Nigeria include:
- Fishing and Fish Farming,
2. Yam (Dioscorea spp.) and
3. Chili Pepper
Fishing and Fish Farming: Using the Niger Delta as a case study, changing conditions in the water bodies, such as temperature rise, increased salinity, and invasion of aggressive water species, appear to be affecting the fish dominated region, causing the fish to move to different parts of the water body, forcing fishermen to travel longer distances in search of an abundant supply of fishes for a good catch. Other effects include flooding of fish ponds, particularly those located in wet farmlands near rivers and increased pond temperature, which leads to a rise in the death rate of cultivated fishes in the region. Reduced water flows and rising sea levels are expected to have a severe impact on water quality and fish species in the region. This is predicted to have an economic impact on communities that rely on these resources, particularly fishermen and fish keepers in the region whose primary activity is fishing and marketing of cultured fishes.
Yam (Dioscorea spp.): Yam is a widely farmed, climate-sensitive food crop in Nigeria. It is an annual root tuber crop that contains at least 600 species, six of which are socially and economically significant in terms of food, income, and medicine. They are grown in the tropics, particularly in West Africa’s savannah region. 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.
Chili Pepper : Pepper is an important agricultural crop not only because of its economic importance but also due to the nutritional and medicinal value of its fruits as well as being an excellent source of natural colors and antioxidant compounds. Several factors affect the production and productivity of crops, among which climate change is the primary determinant of crop productivity, and it influences yield, hydrologic balances, input, supplies, and other components of agricultural systems. Many studies have shown the direct impact of increased or decreased temperature in the production of chili pepper. Pepper that is grown under high temperature (33 °C) shows reduced fruit set. and flower malformation when grown in temperatures below 18 °C resulting in the formation of parthenocarpic (sterile) fruits and reduced fruit set. 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
Food Security Concerns, Focusing on the Availability Pillar of Food Security
Food availability or the lack thereof establishes the most fundamental level of the food environment that determines dietary choices in terms of quantity and quality. Current global food availability makes it theoretically possible for all individuals to consume sufficient calories; however, consumption of nutritious diets by all people is not possible. Many countries emphasize the quantities of food produced and the commercial value of crops, rather than their nutritional qualities in a bid to combat food insecurity. Agricultural breeding tends to focus on traits including yield and appearance over nutritional composition.
At the level of the farmer, production decisions and the choice of crop or cultivar are a function of prices, yields, and market preferences, with poor alignment with consumers’ dietary needs. As a result, important gaps between agricultural production and populations’ nutritional needs are reported for nutrient-dense foods including fruits, vegetables, and pulses contributing to food insecurity.
At a fundamental level, the continued production of nutritious food relies on agricultural production, which in turn relies on the maintenance of sufficient nutrients in the soil. Crop yields and the nutritional value of crop-based foods are influenced by the soil quality in which they are grown. Soil degradation and its negative consequences on the amount and quality of agricultural production endangers food security and human nutrition. Human-caused soil deterioration of agricultural regions is widespread, with serious consequences for food security. However, there is evidence that efforts to increase soil health can improve agricultural production quality, with positive consequences on human nutrition.
I hope you enjoyed reading!
Find URLs to the documents you used as sources here:
Ani, K.J., Anyika, V.O. and Mutambara, E. (2022), “The impact of climate change on food and human security in Nigeria”, International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, Vol. 14 №2, pp. 148–167. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-11-2020-0119
Okongor, G., C. Njoku, P. Essoka and J. Efiong. 2021. Climate variability and yam production: Nexus and projections. Sarhad Journal of Agriculture, 37(2): 406–418. https://dx.doi.org/10.17582/journal.sja/2021/37.2.406.418
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10708-020-10163-x
