INCIDENCE OF FLOODING AND COPING STRATEGIES AMONG RICE FARMERS IN SELECTED LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS, KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

OLADAPO, Fisayo Elizabeth (2021) INCIDENCE OF FLOODING AND COPING STRATEGIES AMONG RICE FARMERS IN SELECTED LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS, KWARA STATE, NIGERIA. Masters thesis, Landmark University, Omu Aran, Kwara State.

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Abstract

The incidence of flooding and coping strategies among rice farmers in Edu and Patigi Local Government Areas of Kwara State was investigated. Insufficient rice production by farmers in these fertile low-land areas can be controlled by examining the frequency of flooding and coping strategy adopted by rice farmers. The specific objectives were to describe the socio-economic characteristics of the rice farmers; ascertained the frequency of flooding; damages caused by flooding on rice farmland; coping strategies and constraints to adopting coping strategies used by rice farmers in the study areas of the local government. Data were collected from two hundred and forty rice farmers that grow rice along river Niger using a purposive sampling procedure. Twelve farmers were picked per village from ten villages in each of the two local government areas. A structured interview was used to collect data which were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The socio-economic characteristics revealed that 97.1% were male, average age was 41 years, and 98.3% married. The average farm size cultivated in the two LGAs was 8.1 hectares. Flooding reaches a peak usually in September. The damages caused by flooding includes loss of crop stands, reduction in yield and less monetary income. The coping strategies adopted by the farmers were planting of improved rice variety and change in planting dates. The rice farmers were faced with no easy access to purchase of improved seed variety and the seeds were costly to buy. The multiple linear regression showed significant relationship in marital status (t= 2.273), rice farm size (t= -5.474) and household size (t= -2.947) all measured at P<0.05. The chi-square result showed a significant difference on damages caused by flooding in burying of seeds (t= 91.202), washing away seedling (t= 40.900), and loss of farmland (t= 70.758) all measured at P<0.05. The study concludes that the rice farmers applied coping strategies to the flooding problem they face yearly. This assisted them in increasing their farm sizes, yield and more income from the sales of rice. It is therefore recommended that farmers in the flooded areas should plant improved rice varieties. (extension agencies should intensify extension programme to improve farmers production in the flooded areas.) Keywords: Coping strategies, incidence, flooding, and farmers.

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