This paper explores the role which climate plays on the severity of diseases and seasonal mortality rate of chicken in the guinea savanna ecological zone of Kwara State, Nigeria. Data on climate and mortality rate of chicken collected over a period of 23 years (1991-2013) were partitioned according to characteristics weather types. Correlation and simple regression methods were used to analyse the data. The results of the analyses showed that weather types of each season affect outbreak of various diseases and mortality rate differently. In the dry season weather types outbreak of Newcastle and Gumboro diseases prevailed mostly during harmattan when mortality rate of chicken exhibited a strong positive relationship of 0.711 with rainfall and a strong negative relationship of 0.604 with maximum temperature. The last two months of dry season (March-April) witnessed the reverse of the above but with Newcastle disease and heat stress plaguing chicken production. The most prevalent chicken disease of rainy season in the study area is Coccidiosis. During the first weather type of wet season (two months before August break) mortality rate of chicken exhibited a strong positive relationship of 0.861 and 0.845 before August break, 0.775 and 0.894 during August break with both rain fall and relative humidity. However the relationship was negative with both maximum and minimum temperatures. Suggestions are made on how to manage both major weather types and poultry operation for efficient poultry farm development in the tropics.

The studies of urban climate are attracting significant attention in the present dispensation due to the global impacts of climate change, induced mostly by anthropogenic activities. This study examines the community perception of deforestation and climate change in Ibadan, Oyo state. Data for this study were obtained from both primary and secondary sources. A total of 400 questionnaires were administered randomly across the 11 local government areas using purposive sampling technique while 365 were retrieved and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results obtained revealed that majority of the people (77%) are familiar with the concept of climate change. 39% and 29% of the respondent perceived variability in temperature and rainfall respectively as the major problems confronting climatic parameters which invariably led to climate change. The result further shows that 95% of the respondent agreed that deforestation account mostly for the incidence of climate change. However, the impacts of deforestation on climate change were perceived to be severe (40%) in the study area. Meanwhile, 37% of the respondents believed that afforestation and mix farming is the most suitable solution to address the problem of climate change. The study recommended the use of environment friendly source of energy such as solar vehicle, bio-fuel and promotion of green environment (tree planting) among others to prevent severe impact of climate change.

Insufficiency  in  the  production  of  food  crops  in  Nigeria  has  been  linked  with  variation  in  rainfall  features.  This  paper  examined  the  impacts  of  variation in rainfall onsets, cessations and length of growing season on yam yield  in  Kwara  State,  Nigeria  to  proffer  a  solution  to  the  problem  of  food  insecurity in the state. Rainfall data were collected monthly for six stations in  Kwara  State  between  1961-2017  (57  years).  Yam  yield  data  were  also  collected  for  the  same  period.  Since  no  separate  record  of  yam  is  kept  for  each climatic station, mean climatic data were calculated to match the yam yield record obtained from the above stations. Rainfall onset, cessation and Length  of  Growing  Season  (LGS)  were  calculated  from  monthly  values.  Decadal  partitioning  of  both  the  crop  and  rainfall  features  was  made  to  show  variations.  Time  series  analysis  was  employed  to  study  trends.  The  strength  of  the  relationship  between  the  length  of  the  growing  season  and  yam  yield  was  also  conducted  using  correlation  analysis.  The  result  showed  an  upward  trend  of  onset  of  rain  coupled  with  a  downward  trend  in late cessation of rain and a decline in the length of the growing season. On a decadal basis, increasing frequency of delayed onset of rain and late cessation was observed. Length of growing season exhibits a positive (r = 0.455**)  relationship  with  yam  yield.  Suggestions  were  made  on  how  to  attain sustainable efficient yam cropping in the study area.

ABSTRACT

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