Abstract
Climate change has affected agricultural activities in most countries of the world, thus resulting in food shortage. This study investigated the perceived effects of climate change on agricultural crops among women farmers in Ilorin-East Local Government Area (LGA), Kwara State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study described their socioeconomic characteristics, assessed the types of crops cultivated, examined the perceived effects of climate change on agricultural crops, investigated the coping strategies to climate change effects, and identified challenges encountered. A two-stage sampling procedure was used to select 150 respondents. Structured questionnaire was used while both descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Specifically, the study employed Logistic regression and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) for hypotheses testing. Findings showed that the respondents’ average age was 42.5 years. Most (87.3%) respondents grew African spinach and 78.0% were grouped as having high perceived effects on crop production. The main perceived effect of climate change was reduced crop yield (x̄ = 4.60), while the use of addition of manures and fertilizers (x̄ = 4.57) was the major coping strategy employed. The main challenge encountered was difficulty in obtaining suitable land for farming (x̄ = 3.66). The logistic regression result of the factors determining the perceived effects of climate change on crop farming of women farmers showed that marital status (p<0.05) and age (p<0.05) were significant. The study concluded that the majority of the women farmers perceived effects of climate change on their crops were high. Thus, the study recommends that extension services should prioritize the dissemination and training on climate-smart techniques such as mulching, agroforestry, water harvesting, and drought-resistant crop varieties, tailored specifically for women farmers who are disproportionately affected by climate change.