CLIMATE CHANGE AWARENESS AND ADAPTATION STRATEGIES AMONG SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN FLOOD-PRONE AREAS OF NIGER STATE, NIGERIA
Climate change poses significant threats to agricultural productivity, particularly in flood-prone regions of Nigeria. This study assessed climate change awareness and adaptation strategies among smallholder farmers in Niger State, Nigeria. Data were collected from 469 crop farmers using structured questionnaires through a multistage sampling technique. Results revealed that 63.3% of farmers were aware of climate change, with extension agents (46.9%), friends (38.0%), and radio (34.1%) serving as primary information sources. The study identified early planting (43.9%), traditional irrigation (36.5%), and use of improved crop varieties (34.1%) as dominant adaptation strategies. Despite moderate awareness levels, farmers demonstrated limited adoption of climate-smart practices such as agroforestry (0.9%) and early warning systems (14.7%). The study recommends strengthening extension services, promoting climate-smart agricultural practices, and establishing community-based early warning systems to enhance farmers' adaptive capacity to climate change impacts.