ABSTRACT
Adaptation to Climate Change (CC) is the adjustment in
natural or human system in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or
their effects. To cushion and curb the devastating impacts of CC in South East
Nigeria, there is great need to build resilience and capacities of institutions
towards more lasting and far reaching approach to CC adaptation. With the
phenomenon of CC becoming so alarming, building adaptive capacity, including
providing tools and information, raising awareness of adaptation options,
educating key professionals about CC and investing in CC science
becomes imperative. In this context, individuals as well as collective capacity
to put existing and new knowledge into practice is crucial as capacity includes
"abilities, skills, understandings, attitudes, values, relationships,
behaviours, motivations, resources and conditions that enable individuals,
organizations, networks/sectors and broader social systems to carry out
functions and achieve their development objectives over time. Adaptation to CC
therefore, requires information generation and dissemination. The study
assessed the capacity for agricultural adaptation to CC among university
faculties of agriculture in South East Nigeria. A total of 120 respondents were
selected using simple random sampling. Percentages, mean scores, and factor
analysis were used in data analysis and presentation. The findings show that
the teaching capacities of the universities to CC adaptation were low. In the
same vein, the research capacities of the universities in CC issues were found
to be on the low ebb. These were seen in the very few numbers of CC researches
and activities carried out in the universities. On outreach capacities of the
universities to CC adaptation, it was found to be very poor. However, the
medium most frequently used were posters, fliers, lectures, farm visits/
village outreach and the use of radio programmes. The respondents’ perceived
constraints to building CC agricultural adaptation in the universities include,
poor learning environment, lack of reliable weather forecast/climate
information, lack of proper policy/policy implementation on CC, poor outreach
capacities in terms of human resources on CC, lack of technical and
communication facilities, poor or absence of teaching materials, lack/limited
availability of grants and scholarship on CC issues, lack of funds for research
on CC, poor funding for teaching etc.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background information
Climate Change (CC) has been
defined as change which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity
that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is, in addition,
to natural climate variability observed over comparable time period. The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007), explained CC as
‘statistically significant variations that persist for an extended period,
typically decades or longer’. It is made up of discrepancies in the occurrence
and magnitude of sporadic weather events and concomitant rise in world mean
surface temperature. Regardless of international progress to reduce emissions
of the greenhouse gases that cause CC, the climate system will continue to
adjust to past emissions in the next few decades. This will bring unavoidable
impacts on natural and human systems, presenting the challenge of second
response to Climate Change, which is adaptation (to prepare for and cope with
these effects).
The effects include among
others increasing temperatures, decreasing rainfall in the continental
interiors, drought, desert encroachment, melting ice, extreme weather, floods,
sea level rise, sinking of Islands, water scarcity, health and agricultural
problems (Odjugo, 2007; 2009; Adefolalu, 2007; Nwafor, 2007; Awake, 2008). In
the south east Nigeria, the impacts of CC is very evident as observed in the
increased flooding, landslide and erosion of the zone which has led to loss of
lives, houses, farmlands, properties, roads etc. (Agwu and Okhimamhe, 2009).
The environment of a large part of the south eastern zone presents its own
challenge with respect to CC vulnerability. Apart from experiencing delayed
onset or early retreat of rains, unsteady
Adaptation to CC is the
adjustment in natural or human system in response to actual or expected
climatic stimuli or their effects (IPCC, 2001). With respect to agriculture, CC
adaptation aims at reducing and developing appropriate coping measures to
address the negative impacts of CC on crop production, soil
management/conservation and animal husbandry. Adjustments are possible in
practice within the limits of available income and technology. That is why
adaptation to CC will be of relatively lesser problem in the developed nations
as a result of their high level of technological development and high per
capital income. CC is a serious problem in the developing nations, especially
Nigeria, due to low income and poor technological base. (Mshelia, 2005; Jagtap,
2007; Rockfeller Foundation, 2008; IFPRI, 2009;Odjugo, 2010).
Low levels of awareness of CC
amongst policy makers and the public at large, and poor understanding of its
risks have hindered effective decision making. There is a need for urgent
reforms in the current pedagogy, knowledge diffusion structures, mindsets of
the actors, reward systems, governance structures and policy frameworks for
African universities to effectively engage in higher education for sustainable
development including adaptation to climate change ( African Association of
Universities, 2009).
To cushion and curb the
devastating impacts of CC in Nigeria, there is great need to build resilience
and capacities of institutions towards more lasting and far reaching approach
to CC adaptation. Universities exist with the aim of advancing the frontiers of
knowledge. They help to enlarge human choices, skills and capabilities, by
developing human resources. With the science of CC now becoming increasingly
clear, sustainability and adaptability is turning more and more into an issue
for education (Institute of Education, IOE, 2009). University education
provides leadership in research, training and innovation responsible for
sustainable development of any nation. It has long been perceived throughout
the world, that higher education plays a critical role in preparing and
providing the leadership to meet these challenges and to stimulate sustainable
development (Bloom et al., 2005).
Okiy (1998), identifies six
main functions of Nigerian Universities as; conservation of knowledge, pursuit,
promotion and dissemination of information through teaching, advancement of
knowledge through research oriented development, provision of intellectual
leadership and development of human resources for meeting manpower and societal
needs. These defined functions above, make the university the ideal centre for
building capacities and resilience required for CC adaptation especially in the
agricultural sector.
1.2 Problem statement
With the phenomenon of CC becoming so alarming,
building adaptive capacity, including provision of tools and or information,
raising awareness of adaptation options, educating key professionals about CC
and investing in CC science as well as related social, ecological and
socio-economic studies becomes imperative. In this context, individual as well
as collective capacity to put existing and new knowledge into practice is
crucial as capacity includes "abilities, skills, understandings,
attitudes, values, relationships, behaviours....================================================================
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