IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON SOIL QUALITY, FARMERS LIVELIHOOD ACTIVITIES AND ADAPTATION STRATEGIES IN THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY (FCT), NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of climate change on soil quality, farmers’ livelihood activities, and adaptation strategies in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nigeria. Driven by rising temperatures and irregular rainfall patterns, climate change poses a severe threat to agricultural sustainability and rural economics. A descriptive research design was adopted for the study. Relying on primary data, a structured questionnaire titled "Climate Change on Soil Quality, Farmers Livelihood Activities and Adaptation Strategies" (CCSQFLAAS) was administered to a multi-stage sample of 720 respondents selected via simple random and purposive techniques across ten wards in the Bwari and Abaji Area Councils. The sample size was determined using the Krejcie and Morgan formula. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation for the research questions, while independent samples t-tests were used to test the two null hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance.The findings revealed that rising weather variability, specifically unpredictable rainfall and flash floods, severely degrades soil quality by eroding topsoil nutrients and disrupting planting schedules (Cluster Mean=3.08). Also, extreme temperature profiles accelerate soil organic matter decomposition, baking the land and reducing farm labor productivity (Cluster Mean=3.09). To mitigate these shocks, local communities have actively adopted adaptation strategies (Cluster Mean=2.97), leaning heavily on organic manuring (Xˉ=3.10) and crop rotation (Xˉ=3.22), though resource-intensive conservation tillage remains less practiced (Xˉ=2.65). The inferential analysis showed no statistically significant differences between the experiences of farmers in Bwari and Abaji regarding weather variations (p=0.254) and temperature trends (p=0.332), confirming that climate stress acts as a uniform regional burden. The study concludes that climate change uniformly compromises the ecological foundation of rural livelihoods in the FCT. It recommends targeted institutional funding for climate-smart infrastructure, subsidized distribution of drought-resistant crop varieties, and decentralized agricultural extension frameworks to build long-term rural resilience.