Climate Smart Agriculture Strategies among Crop Farmers in North Central Nigeria: Implication on farm Productivity

With the aim of identifying the various CSA strategies used by farmers and assessing the productivity effects of identified CSA practices on farm productivity in Kogi State, North Central, Nigeria, this study assessed the productivity effects of Climate Smart Agricultural (CSA) practices on arable crop farmers. Data were gathered from three hundred and fifty (350) farmers using a “three stage sampling technique” and standardized questionnaires. The data were analyzed using “descriptive statistics”, “Total Factor Productivity (TFP),” and least squares regression. The farmers were majorly male (86^%), married (91.14%) with mean age of 54years and had secondary school education (40.25^%). Prevalent Climate smart Strategies were cover cropping (20.86^%), Organic manure (16.0^%), and minimum tillage (15.14%), crop rotation with legumes (14.86%), mulching (14.57^%), Inorganic fertilizer (12.0^%) and improved varieties (6.57^%). Determinants of TFP estimate reveals the following factors as having a significant contribution to productivity at different levels of significance in the study area; age (−1.328), education (0.427), farm size (0.41), organic fertilizer (0.48), access to extension (0.342), cover cropping (0.023), Inorganic fertilizer (.47), improved varieties (0.503), Crop rotation with legumes (0.54), Amount of credit accessed (0.273). While age impacted negatively on productivity, all others impacted positively on productivity. The study concluded that Climate Smart Agriculture strategies had positive impacts on crop productivity. Promoting sustainable Climate smart Strategies is recommended.