CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION IN AFRICA: ITS IMPLICATIONS AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROSPECTS FOR FARMERS IN THE SUB-SAHELIAN AGRO-ECOLOGICAL ZONE OF NIGERIA

Climate change is a phenomenon whose effects and impacts would affect peoples and nations differently. Nigeria and its people are expected to be most affected by the impacts of climate change, through sea level rise along its coastline, intensified desertification,erosion, flood disasters, and general land degradation. Northern Nigeria is one of the most threatened land areas to climate change in the country. The region lies largely within the semi-arid zone, which is recognized as a dynamic ecosystem as a result of highly variable and unpredictable rainfall, seasonal fires, high temperatures, overgrazing and other anthropogenic influences. In addition, poverty, increasing population growth and the poor resource endowment makes it difficult to find solutions to these problems without comprehensive policy changes and public enlightenment. Some of these environmental problems are highly interactive and interlinked with health, water supply, nutrition, poverty, unemployment, and poor agricultural productivity. The resulting decline in agricultural productivity from increased droughts and desertification will further raise the vulnerability of the region to climate change.