Abstract
A sustainable ruminant production system ensures economically viable livestock systems that meet the current and future demands of animal products as well as the environmental safety of current and future generations. The study analyzed the determinants of ruminant farmers' use of sustainable production practices for climate change adaptation and mitigation in Enugu State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling procedure was used to select ninety six (96) ruminant farmers that constituted the sample for the study. Semi-structured interview schedule with open ended questions was used in data collection. Data were analyzed using multiple regression and Pearson Moment Correlation statistics. Access to veterinary services (t = 2.056, p = 0.044), monthly household income (t = 3.582, p = 0.001) and annual income from ruminant production (t = −2.635, p = 0.011) were socio-economic factors that significantly influenced use of sustainable practices. The adjusted R- square implies that the three factors were able to explain 24% of variance in use of sustainable practices. There is a significant positive correlation (r = 0.426, p = 0.000) between knowledge level of farmers and their use of sustainable production practices. Schemes for financial inclusion such as payment for ecosystem services can spur farmers to adopt mitigation strategies. Improved climate change knowledge can enhance ruminant farmer's resilience to the increasing impacts of climate change.
Highlights
Since the Rio meeting of 1992, the world has committed to reducing greenhouse gases which cause climate change and to invest in processes that reduce the impact of climate change on lives and livelihoods of populations
As uncertainties in onset and duration of rains increase as a result of climate change, the quantity and quality of pastures decline and farmers would resort to feed supplementation in order to cope
The competition for feed supplements will no doubt lead to high prices which means more financial pressure on the ruminant farmers
Summary
Since the Rio meeting of 1992, the world has committed to reducing greenhouse gases which cause climate change and to invest in processes that reduce the impact of climate change on lives and livelihoods of populations. Ruminant production and climate change are strongly inter-dependent. The ruminant sector contributes to greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions mainly. Determinants of Ruminant Farmers’ Use through the emission of methane (CH4), largely from enteric fermentation, nitrous oxide (N2O) emission from manure and the use of nitrogenous fertilizers in growing feed, and carbondioxide (CO2) from fossil fuel burning [1]. Ruminants contribute about 80 percent of livestock emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), 47 percent of Methane (CH4), and 24 percent of Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions [2, 3]. About 90% of livestock emissions are produced by ruminants alone through enteric fermentation [4]. Enteric fermentation methane (CH4), emitted from ruminants during digestion, is a main source of global methane emissions and is responsible for 25% of global methane emissions or 4% of overall anthropogenic GHG emissions [5]
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