This study examined the relationship between the adoption of bio-fortified provitamin- A cassava varieties and farming households’ health  outcomes using cross sectional data obtained from 318 cassava farmers in southeast Nigeria. The data was analysed using binary logistic regression, propensity score matching of treatment effects and percentages. The study found that number of children under five, household size, education of head of household, extension service, ownership of television, radio, mobile phone and tricycle, membership of cooperative societies, and access to credit were the significant predictors of adoption of pro-vitamin-A bio-fortified cassava varieties in the States. The study also found that the main constraints militating against adoption of pro-vitamin-A bio-fortified cassava include decaying of roots immediately after maturation,high cost of cassava stem, and high moisture content. The estimate of the effect of the adoption of bio-fortified pro-vitamin-A cassava varieties onincidence of vitamin-A deficiency related diseases was significant with an average treatment effect on the adopters of -0.463. The adoption of bio- fortified pro-vitamin-A cassava varieties has substantial effect on the reduction of vitamin-A deficiency related health outcomes. There is need for wider awareness and dissemination of the varieties among cassava farmers, while interventions should target the promotion of both production and consumption of such cassava varieties. Key words: adoption of bio-fortified cassava varieties; vitamin A deficiency related diseases

Rice production in Nigeria is vulnerable to climate risks and rice farmers over time have experienced the risks and their respective impacts on rice farming. Rice farmers have also responded to perceived climate risks with strategies believed to be climate-smart. Farmers’ perception of climate risks is an important first step of determining any action to be taken to counteract the negative effects of climate change on agriculture. Studies on the link between perceived climate risks and farmers’ response strategies are increasing. However, there are limited studies on the determinants of rice farmers’ perception of climate events. The paper therefore examined climate change perception and uptake of climate-smart agriculture in rice production in Ebonyi State, Nigeria using cross-sectional data from 347 rice farmers in an important rice-producing area in Nigeria. Principal component analysis, multivariate probit regression model and descriptive statistics were adopted for data analysis. Perceived climate events include increased rainfall intensity, prolonged dry seasons, frequent floods, rising temperature, severe windstorms, unpredictable rainfall pattern and distribution, late onset rain, and early cessation of rain. Farmers’ socioeconomic, farm and institutional characteristics influenced their perception of climate change. Additionally, rice farmers used a variety of climate-smart practices and technologies to respond to the perceived climate events. Such climate-smart practices include planting improved rice varieties, insurance, planting different crops, livelihood diversification, soil and water conservation techniques, adjusting planting and harvesting dates, irrigation, reliance on climate information and forecasts, planting on the nursery, appropriate application of fertilizer and efficient and effective use of pesticides. These climate-smart agricultural measures were further delineated into five broad packages using principal component analysis. These packages include crop and land management practices, climate-based services and irrigation, livelihood diversification and soil fertility management, efficient and effective use of pesticide and planting on the nursery. High fertilizer costs, lack of access to inputs, insufficient land, insufficient capital, pests and diseases, floods, scorching sun, high labour cost, insufficient climate information, and poor extension services were the barriers to uptake of climate-smart agriculture in rice production. Rice farmers should be supported to implement climate-smart agriculture in rice production in order to achieve the objectives of increased rice productivity and income, food security, climate resilience and mitigation.

An in-depth understanding of the impact of vulnerability on livelihoods and food security is important in deploying effective adaptation actions. The Nigerian agricultural sector is dominated by rainfed and non-homogenous smallholder farming systems. A number of climate change risk studies have emerged in the last decade. However, little attention has been given to vulnerability assessments and the operationalization of vulnerability. To highlight this shortcoming, this study systematically reviewed climate-change-focused vulnerability assessments in the agricultural sector by evaluating (1) variation in climate variables in Nigeria over time;(2) the state of climate change vulnerability assessment in Nigerian agriculture; (3) the theoretical foundations, operationalization approaches, and frameworks of vulnerability assessments in Nigeria; (4) the methods currently used in vulnerability assessments; and (5) lessons learned from the vulnerability studies. We used a linear trend of climatic data spanning over a period of 56 years obtained from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the Climate Research Unit of the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom, along with a systematic review of literature to achieve the objectives. The analysis indicates a significant and positive correlation between temperature and time in all major agro-ecological zones. For precipitation, we found a non-significant correlation between precipitation in the Sahel, Sudan, and Guinea Savanna zones with time, while the other zones recorded positive but significant associations between precipitation and time. The systematic review findings indicate no clear progress in publications focused specifically on vulnerability assessments in the Nigerian agricultural sector. There has been progress recently in applying frameworks and methods. However, there are important issues that require addressing in vulnerability assessments, including low consideration for indigenous knowledge and experience, unclear operationalization of vulnerability, non-standardization of vulnerability measures, and inadequacy of current assessments supporting decision making.

The paper analyzed the demand for imported rice, local rice, maize, and other cereals in Nigeria. Using the second wave data of the Nigerian Living Standard Measurements Survey -Integrated Survey on Agriculture, it employed the Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System model for empirical analysis. The result indicates that the imported and local rice are proved to be normal goods. However, imported rice is a luxury item while local rice is a necessity. The compensated and uncompensated own-price elasticities for imported and local rice are negative, indicating that an increase in ownprice will decrease its own-demand in line with the law of demand. The estimates of uncompensated cross-price elasticity show that imported rice and local rice are complements in Nigeria. Finally, the study represents an effort to disaggregate food demand analysis to obtain useful information on price and other factors determining the demand for specific foods. Contribution/ OriginalityThis paper is an attempt to provide information on the demand for locally produced and imported rice in Nigeria and their views as either necessity and/or luxury commodities, across the different income quintiles, as well as in urban and rural areas across the country using the Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System model.

It is speculated that variability in climate and weather events may affect agricultural productivity and livelihoods (Srivastava et al., 2012), especially in the Abstract | This study aimed to improve understanding of the nexus between climate variability and yam (Dioscorea spp.) production in Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. Rainfall, temperature, sunshine and relative humidity , as well as yam yield data (1990-2016) were considered. Results revealed that climate elements fluctuated steadily during the period with a marginal increase in yam yield. The projections from the Time Series Modeler showed that relative humidity will decrease slightly while yam yield will increase by an additional 265 metric tons in 2026. Although minimal, and not significant to the declining food production trend in Nigeria, the projected increase in yam production in the area would support the deficit in food availability. The nexus between both variables was hypothesized using the multiple linear regression analysis. The result revealed that only sunshine intensity was a significant predictor of yam yield (p =0.011), whereas rain days (p = 0.332), rainfall volume (p = 0.393), temperature (p = 0.235) and relative humidity (p = 0.963) were not. This suggests that key climate variables do not significantly influence yam yield in the area, implying that non-climatic factors likely have more impact. This provides better opportunities to upscale yam production in the area and gives room for better planning by farmers and policy makers.