92 Joseph Omotoso Ajayi
Gender-Based Climate Change Awareness of Cassava Farmers
in the Study Area
The result of the cassava farmers’ awareness of climate change in the
study area is as shown in Table 3. The Table indicates the awareness of the
farmers based on sixteen (16) climate change awareness statements. The
findings indicated that awareness was still low in the study area but was better
among male cassava farmers than among female cassava farmers. From the
sixteen awareness statements, both male and female cassava farmers were not
“extremely aware” about any of them. However, male cassava farmers were
“moderately aware.”
On the fact that “Although cassava is a resistant crop, however cassava
farming is now much more affected by vagaries in major climatic factors of
rainfall, temperature and humidity unlike before,” “Others derived factors of
climate change such as flood, drought, farm fire are also affecting the
production of cassava,” “My cassava production in recent times has been
subject to adverse outcomes due to climate change,” “Climate change leads to
inadequate water supply/drought for nutrient circulation,” “Climate changes
cause high temperature which destroys nutrients,” “Climate change causes
reduced dry matter of cassava roots” and “Climate leads to stunted growth of
cassava plants.” The male cassava farmers were totally “somewhat aware”
about climate change. The awareness among male cassava farmers with a total
mean of 2.99 was higher than the awareness among the female cassava
farmers with a total mean of 2.42 where the female farmers were totally
“slightly aware” about climate change. Generally, a grand mean of 2.71 for
both combined male and female cassava farmers was low and implied that the
farmers were “somewhat aware.” These findings corroborate the findings of
(Ajayi, 2015; Nzeadibe et al., 2011) who had found that awareness of climate
change was low in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
Gender-Based Cassava Farmers’ Understanding
of Climate Change
Both male and female farmers understood the concept of climate change
differently as shown in Figure 1. The largest proportion of the male farmers
had indicated they understood climate change as “heavy rainfall and flood”
while only about 60% of the female farmers indicated climate change for the
same. Meanwhile most of the female farmers understood climate change as