Economic Implications of Smallholders’ Collaborative Groupings on Household Income and Adaptability to Climate Change in Nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed the impact of smallholders’ collaborative groupings on farm household income and their decision to adapt management strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change within their farming areas. A sample of 225 households’ farms from the participating 15 LGAs in Ondo State were randomly selected. However, only 200 questionnaires were properly filled and returned. The study deployed both descriptive and inferential statistics (t-test and regression models) to achieve its objectives. The study found that only 20% of the households have strategies to ensure a smooth succession of the management in the family farm. The results of the probit regression analysis showed that the membership of collaborative groupings significantly and positively influenced the per capita household farm income and households’ decision to adapt management strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change. In addition, findings from the study also empirically validated that farmers who adapted to the climate earned a higher farm income than non-adapters. On the strength of these findings, the study recommends that more farmers should be encouraged to form collaborative groupings where they can also share in the numerous benefits of being in such a network, including the access to more information on adaptation to climate change.