Livelihood Adaptation Strategies of Adolescent Girls on Climate Change in Southwest Nigeria

International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VII, Issue V, May 2020 | ISSN 2321–2705

Livelihood Adaptation Strategies of Adolescent Girls on Climate Change in Southwest Nigeria

Adetutu O. Awoyemi*, Olasimbo M. Apata, Abiodun Ajiboye
Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension Sciences, Ekiti State University, Ado – Ekiti, Nigeria
*Corresponding author

Abstract: – The study examined the effects of climate change on the adolescent girls’ livelihood and the adaptation strategies employed by them in Southwest Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select respondents. Data were gathered through structured interview schedule from 240 adolescent girls. Data collected were analysed using frequency counts, percentages and inferential statistical tools. The result shows that the respondents had a mean age of 15.6. Majority (82.1%) of the adolescent girl had secondary education and the mean household size was 8. The major effects of climate change identified by the adolescent girl was scarcity of water 83.3%, others were prolonged rain break 79.6% and disease outbreak 72.5%. Some of their livelihood adaptation strategies were fetching of water (86.7%) and firewood (71.2%) from long distances, helping vulnerable groups suffering from climate induce ailments (70.4%) and reduction in food intake (52.9%). The study shows that education(x²=17.565; p≤0.007) and age (r=0.195; p≤0.002) had a significant relationship with the adolescent girls livelihood adaptation strategies. The study confirms that adolescent girls play some important roles in helping their family to adapt to the effects of climate change. It also reveals that there is a positive significant relationship between adaptation strategies employed by adolescent girls to the effects of climate change and the risk encountered by them (r=0.183;p≤0.004), Therefore the adolescent girls must be regarded as one of the stakeholders on climate change issues and they should be empowered.

Index terms: Adolescent Girls, Climate Change and Adaptation Strategy.

I. INTRODUCTION

Climate change is defined as a change in state of climate that can be identified (e.g. by using statistical tests) by changes in the mean and or variability of its properties that persists for an extended period, typically decades or longer (The intergovernmental panel on climate change) [10].According to [2] climate change also refers to changes in the variability or average state of the atmosphere over time ranging from a decade to millions of years. The issue of climate change which is of global concern has generated research responses from academics of various disciplines [22,13and 18]. [10] noted that the range of published works on climate change indicated that the net damaged cost of climate change is likely to significantly increase overtime, Many African countries that practise rain- fed agricultural are particularly vulnerable to climate change [7].

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