TITLE:
Measures for Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change on Crop Production in Nigeria
AUTHORS:
D. A. Alawa, V. C. Asogwa, C. O. Ikelusi
KEYWORDS:
Climate Change, Green House Gases, Global Warming, Mitigation, Crop Production, Food Insecurity
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Climate Change,
Vol.3 No.2,
June
25,
2014
ABSTRACT:
This
paper examined the causes, effects and measures for mitigating climate change
to ensure adequate supply of food through crop production to address the food
insecurity which has occupied a central focus of the Nigerian economy.
Unfortunately, crop production is fraught with many ecological challenges
including climate change. This climate change which occurs as a result of the
buildup of Green House Gases (GHGs) occasioned by industrialization,
technological modeling and agriculture, exert significant effects on crop yield,
water availability, ecosystem disequilibrium resulting in cases of drought,
flood earthquake among others. For crop production to be scaled-up to meet the
food requirement of the ever growing Nigerian population amidst these
challenges, there is need to mitigate these adverse effects of climate change
through the adoption of sustainable land management practices that can reduce
the atmospheric stock of GHGs such as zero-tillage, appropriate use of
fertilizers, avoidance of bush burning, graze land management, improved water
management among others. Achieving great success in these areas requires that
Nigerian government should be more proactive in their policies that hold
promise for sustainable cultures in agricultural production as well as evolving
global partnerships on ecological issues.