Factors influencing the level of use of climate-smart agricultural practices (CSAPs) in Sokoto state, Nigeria

Abstract

Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is paramount to the success of farming activities today in the face of the menace of climate change. This study therefore investigated the frequency of usage of CSA and the factors influencing its level of usage in the Northern agricultural zone of Sokoto State. A well-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The data used for the analysis were cross sectional data collected from 120 rural farming households in six (6) villages across two (2) local government areas. Descriptive statistics, Adaptation Strategy Use Index (ASUI) and ordered probit regression model were used for data analysis. Results indicated that the majority of the respondents were male (83.33%), married (83.33%), had Quranic education (73.33%), household size of 1-10 persons (58.33%), farming experience of 16-30 years (49.17%) and were between the ages of 46 and 60 (44.17%). Similarly, the practice of conservation agriculture was the most used CSAP in the study area, while the results of the ordered probit regression showed that years of education and membership of a social group were significant explanatory variables influencing the level of use of CSAP among the low user and high user categories at the 10% and 1% level of significance respectively, while access to credit significantly influenced only the low user category at the 10% level of significance. The study therefore concluded that CSAPs were being practiced at different levels in the study area with various factors influencing their usage, and it therefore recommended that the farming households be well enlightened by extension agents on the benefits of CSAPs.

Keywords

• climate-smart agriculture
• adaptation strategy use index
• ordered probit and conservation agriculture