Climate Change Anomalies and its Prospects on Agriculture in Cross Rivers State, Nigeria
- September 27, 2020
- Posted by: RSIS Team
- Categories: Agriculture, Climate Change, IJRIAS
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science (IJRIAS) | Volume V, Issue IX, September 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186
Climate Change Anomalies and its Prospects on Agriculture in Cross Rivers State, Nigeria
Dr. Ajiere, Susan1; Dr. Nwaerema, Peace2*; Dr. Bridget Edewede Diagi3
1Susan, Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria
2Nwaerema, Peace, Department of Geography, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Nigeria
3Department of Environmental Management, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria
Corresponding Author*
Abstract: The changes that occurred in the climate systems have become a global challenge. Climate change has impacted on different sectors including agriculture and this calls for urgent attention as food security is of great importance to the economy of a nation and its challenges and prospects differ from different geographical locations. Therefore, this work examined the monthly, annual and decadal distribution, pattern, trends, anomalies of rainfall and temperature in Cross River State, Nigeria. The rainfall and temperature data were obtained from Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) for a period of 30 years (1997-2016). The measure of dispersion, trend, anomalies was used to analyze the work and results showed the highest monthly mean rainfall was in July with 491.97mm and lowest rainfall was in December with 33.84mm and no august-break was recorded while mean temperature is 28.7oC, the anomalies for rainfall and temperature trend fluctuated greatly with a positive trend. Findings in this study showed that temperature and rainfall are on the increase and such rise in rainfall can result to flooding which can affect agriculture. The study recommends a proper climate monitoring system for farmers to practice early dry season planting to ensure a profitable agricultural practice for food sustainability.
Keywords: Climate Change, Temperature, Rainfall, Agriculture, Cross River State
I. INTRODUCTION
Climate change is a current issue that is affecting all the nations of the world. It has become one of the most discussed and researched topics because of its visible impact on different sectors of the economy such as agriculture, health, transportation etc.
