RURAL FARMERS’ PERCEPTION OF CLIMATE VARIABILITIES IN BENUE STATE OF NIGERIA

Climate change and severe weather events such as temperature shocks and declining rainfall often stronglyimpede sustainable farming development, especially where agriculture is rain fed and when other externalshocks such as poverty, poor access to inputs and credit are common. This is the context in which rural farmerscarry out their farming and other livelihoods activities. This study compares rural farmers’ perception oftemperature and rainfall with the result of 30 years (1980-2009) meteorological records of temperature andrainfall, examines the farmers adaptation practices in response to climate change and the constraints to theiradaptation. The study found an increasing trend in minimum and maximum temperature as well as rainfallamount. This validates the farmers’ perception of temperature and rainfall. Bush burning and Tree cutting werethe perceived leading causes of climate change. Farmers mostly engaged in changing planting dates andchange in house construction in response to climate change. Efforts that address poverty and provide access toagricultural support services like access to credit; farm inputs and weather forecasting service will helpenhance farmers’ adaptive capacity to climate change. Farmers’ adaptive capacity could be enhanced throughagricultural support services such as access to credit, farm inputs and weather forecasting