Farmers’ Perceptions of Climate Change and Adaptation to Poverty Diseases along River Niger in Edo and Kogi States, Nigeria

Abstract

Climate variability has the potential to worsen existing vulnerabilities such as Malaria, HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis. This study examined the farmers’ perception of climate change and adaptation to poverty diseases along river Niger. Primary data were collected through questionnaires from 358 respondents in Edo and Kogi States, who were selected using multistage sampling techniques. Descriptive statistics and the threshold concept for discrete variables, were used as analytical tools. Results of the analyses revealed that the use of mosquito nets had the highest adaptation measure to poverty diseases, with a Likert scale mean score of 4.53, while land preparation pattern was the most used adaptive strategy to climate change. The study recommends that to reduce the effect of poverty disease, there is a need for policy makers to engage communities when making decisions relating to their health.