Quantitatively Assessing Climate Resilience Capacities and Vulnerabilities Among Rural Smallholder Farmers in Nigeria

Climate change threatens vulnerable smallholder farmers in rural areas across Nigeria. While increasing climate resilience is important, there are few quantitative studies of community resilience. This study addressed this gap by analysing and comparing the climate resilience of 300 smallholder farmers each in Enugu and Oyo states of Nigeria using the Resilience Capacity Index is much higher. Regression modelling showed positive associations of higher resiliency education, access to agricultural extension, climate information processing, disaster preparedness, and agricultural preparedness The qualitative interviews differentiated data of relevance, resulting in higher scores in Oyo in conjunction with climate awareness agricultural systems, infrastructure, social capital and climate risk awareness Associated scores and socio-economic factors indicate a big difference, especially in Enugu. Interventions designed to strengthen smallholder climate resilience will focus on education, adaptation training, early warning systems, infrastructure development, access to credit and on social capital. The community resilience measurement approach provides a valuable model for resilience assessment and monitoring in climate sensitive communities across the region