ABSTRACT

This study examined the influence of climate change on food grain yield in Nigeria. The study was necessitated as a result of the increasing rate of food - insecurity due to climate change and Nigerian government un-perceived behaviour of this influence. The specific objectives include; to examine the pattern in temperature, rainfall, and yield of selected food grain within the period of 1970- 20 10; to compare the growth rate between the selected food grains yield and climate parameters; to determine the direction of causality between selected food grains yield and climate parameters; to investigate the effect of climate change on food grain yield in the preference period; and to determine the effect of climate change on aggregate food grain yield in the period under review. The study covered 1970-2010 periods. Secondary data were used for the study. The data were analyzed by the use of descriptive statistics and econometric methods. Findings revealed that, the preferred weather parameters (rainfall and temp), and the food grain (maize, rice, millet, sorghum, wheat) exhibited significant changes in trend of growth during the 1970-2010 period. Rainfall grew at the compound growth rate of 5.3 % more than temperature per annum. The compound growth rate of maize, millet, sorghum, and wheat output were less than the compound growth rate of rice by 0.9%, 6.5%, 5.9% and 6.4% respectively, and the compound growth rate of maize, rice, sorghum, and wheat outputs were more than the compound growth rate of millet output by 5.6%, 6.5%, 0.6% and 0.1% respectively. Acceleration was witnessed in the growth rate of temperature, rainfall, sorghum, and millet. Deceleration for wheat, while stagnation was witnessed in the growth rate of rice and maize over the 1970-20 10 periods. There was significant difference in the average growth rate of rainfall and each of maize, millet, sorghum and wheat yield; and no significant difference between rainfall and rice. There was no significant difference in the average growth rate of temperature and each of maize, millet, sorghum and wheat yield; but there was significant difference between temperature and rice. The conclusion of the study is that, food grain yield were influenced by rainfall and temperature. It is therefore, recommended that, if increase in food grain production is to be sustained, proper irrigation and drainage should be applied.