Evaluation of Rural Farming Households Awareness Level to Climate Change Indicators in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

The study focused on the evaluation of rural households’ awareness level to climate change indicators and their direction of change in Bayelsa state, Nigeria. The main objective was to determine the rural household’s perception to climate change in the state and the specific objective was to determine the direction of change of the climate change indicators (whether increasing, decreasing or constant). Multistage sampling procedure was used in random selection of local government areas, communities and rural households for the research study. Two hundred and seventy eight respondents were utilized for this research study. Data for this study were obtained using structured questionnaire survey and also annual mean time series data from Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) that include the following; temperature and rainfall were collected. Descriptive statistic was used to analyze the respondents’ socio-economic characteristics, climate change awareness and perception to climate change and direction of change in the state. Rural farming households noticed increase changes in climate variables and events like early rains not sustained, crops smothered by excessive heat, crops are planted and replanted, irregular rainfall pattern, delayed onset of rainfall, shorter raining season, floods, coastal erosion and higher temperature. The rural farming households’ perception to the cause of direction of change of climate change indicators that is increasing in the state believes that it is a natural occurrence by God or gods. The study therefore recommends climate change awareness campaign with science-based data should be the beginning for policy making and implementation targeted at effective dissemination of climate change information to the rural farming households. Climate change awareness should be of immense importance for proper climate change adaptation. This will in turn reduce rural household’s food insecurity situation in the state.