Effects of Climate Change on Human and Social Livelihood Assets of Rural Farm Families in Orlu Agricultural Zone of Imo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of climate change on human and social livelihood assets of rural farm families in Orlu agricultural zone of Imo State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to ascertain rural farmers’ awareness of climate change, and identify sources of information on climate change and to describe the effect of climate change on the human and social livelihood assets of the rural farmers. A purposive sampling technique was adopted in selecting a sample size of 120 farm families. Data were collected with structured questionnaire and mean; percentage were used to analyze the data. The result showed that the major evidence of climate change includes increased temperature, unpredictable rainfall pattern, drought, flooding, increased precipitation, crop damage and among others. Climate change affects the livelihood of rural people and can be seen in the effects it has on their human and social capita assets in the following ways - loss of human lives, food shortage, hunger and malnutrition, increased disease incidence, reduction in household. Other effects include prevention of assistance from members of social groups to farmers and rural people at large, interruption of familiar social linkages of the poor, widows, disruption of linkages to formal and informal community organization.