Land tenure, land use antecedents, and willingness to embrace resilient farming practices among smallholders in Nigeria

Abstract

IntroductionShifting to Resilient Farming Practices (RFPs) is crucial in building resilience to climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This study seeks to assess how land tenure and land-use antecedents affect the willingness of smallholder farmers (SHFs) to embrace RFPs in Nigeria.MethodsThe respondents were selected in a multi-stage random sampling process across 16 States and 192 farming communities, yielding a final sample of 1,344 SHFs that cultivate maize and/or rice. The RFPs include a set of good agricultural practices (GAPs), GAPs with manure application and GAPs with agroforestry as against the status quo of conventional agricultural practices. Data were analyzed using descriptive and regression methods.Results and discussionThe results show that 20% of the respondents were willing to adopt agroforestry while 25% and 37% were willing to adopt GAPs with and without manure application respectively. On the other hand, about 18% preferred to stick to the status quo. The multinomial logit result shows that RFPs were significantly influenced by age, education and gender of the household head, membership of the cooperative, household size, land acquisition through inheritance and purchase, newly deforested land, mechanical clearing, and bush burning. The study suggests that land titling and some level of perceived tenure security are necessary conditions for smallholder farmers to embrace RFPs in Nigeria.

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“…The farming system in Nigeria, particularly South-west Nigeria is diverse, reflecting the varied climatic and soil conditions across different areas within South-Western Nigeria, but are also faced with numerous challenges, including land degradation, unpredictable weather patterns, and limited access to markets. Importantly, the vulnerability of smallholder farmers to external shocks, such as droughts and market fluctuations seriously underscores the importance of using sustainable agricultural practices that enhance resilience and reduce dependence on external factors [7,8] . Generally, smallholder arable farmers encounter a myriad of challenges that significantly impact their agricultural productivity and overall livelihoods.…”

“…Generally, smallholder arable farmers encounter a myriad of challenges that significantly impact their agricultural productivity and overall livelihoods. One of the primary challenges is land degradation, a consequence of unsustainable farming practices, deforestation, and soil erosion [8] . As a result, farmers face a reduction in arable land, limiting their capacity to cultivate crops and affecting overall yields.…”

“…Another critical challenge is the unpredictable and increasingly erratic weather patterns because changes in rainfall patterns and prolonged droughts can lead to crop failure, posing a threat to food security for both the farmers and the broader community [3] . This in addition to extreme weather events such as floods can cause significant damage to crops and infrastructure, exacerbating the vulnerability of smallholder arable farmers [8] . Access to markets is another persistent challenge for smallholder farmers in South-Western Nigeria [7] , while limited infrastructure and inadequate transportation setups further create very difficult conditions for the farmers in their bid to transport their produce to markets promptly and with little cost [3] .…”