Climate change is a global crisis, latest estimate by the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change [1] shows that
a business as usual scenario will lead to an increase in global mean temperature of about 10C above the present
value by the year 2025 and 30C before the end of the next century. The debate on climate change has been
generating a lot of interest at both the national, regional and international level. Often a times, more emphasis/
focus is placed on the industrialist, the politicians, bureaucrats, and the list goes on… with little and a times passive
attention given to the farmer (rural /dwellers) whose cumulative actions can either directly or indirectly make such
policies to succeed or fail. The Sudano-Sahelian region of Nigeria is roughly located on longitude 30
and 150
East
and latitude 100
and 140
North. The zone is characterized by persistent drought, wet and dry spells [3], declining
rainfall intensities and increasing the dry season [4 & 5] summarized all these anomalies and confirms that there
has been climate change in rainfall regions in the area. The anticipated effects of climate changes on agriculture is
what this study attempts to understand. The paper examines the effects of climate change on agriculture (crop
production), the coping strategy been adopted and the level of its intensity. This in turn would aid the policy makers
and Non-governmental Organization to articulate the plight of the local/rural dwellers in the Sudano-Sahelian
region and perhaps bring succor to them. The Settlements that were chosen are Kalalawa village (Long 5.0241
and
lat 13.2101
) in Kware Local Government Area (LGA) of Sokoto state; Zangon Buhari (long 8.5501
and lat 11.6631
)
in Bunkure LGA of Kano state; and Chingowa (long 12.8881
and lat 12.5371
) in Magumeri LGA of Borno state.
Tools used for the generation of field data were questionnaire and focus group discussion (FGD), descriptive and
inferential statistical technique were employed in the analysis of the data. The findings reveal that millet, sorghum,
and beans appear to be the staple food crop, which significantly vary within the region. Most of the farm plots are
owned by the farmers. Rainfall both in terms of intensity and duration has been on a decline, while temperature
conditions have been on the increased. Among some the effects are decline in crop yield which has attracted the
application of fertilizer, drying of water sources, abandoning of farmlands, and migration. The recommendations
are improve farming systems/practices, planting of trees, sinking of boreholes/ water facilities, Government
assistance, and prayers to God are the only way forward.