**1. Introduction**

The issue of climate change today has become one of the major challenges that humanity faces in the 21st century due to its significant effects on socio-economic and political stability in different geographical location. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) [1], views climate change as statistically significant variation in either mean state of the climate or in its variability, persisting for an extended period (typically decades or longer). This change may be due to natural processes or persistent anthropogenic activities over the different component of the ecosystem. Although extreme violent weather has occurred throughout the human history, but the recent upsurge in climate related hazards call for the confirmation of the argument for global warming and climate change as results of observed

increasing in temperature that makes some areas to experiencing extreme weather conditions [2–7].

The on-going climate change and its associated global warming are expected to cause distinctive climate variability in different zones, which will impact negatively on the ecosystem and agriculture [8, 9]. That is the reason why, it is good for the people to acquire knowledge of weather and climate and their implications on environmental resources including agriculture for the betterment ecosystem and humanity. In fact the impact of climate change is felt worldwide with varying degree as a result of differences in underlying factors that triggered the change. In Nigeria for instance, the severity of the impact is felt by the majority of people whose livelihoods are more defended on agriculture due to its highly depended on weather and climate. Also agriculture in Nigeria is a major user of land resources as it account for about 1.4 billion hectares of land for crop cultivation and an additional 2.5 billion hectares are used for pasture [10]. With this development, one can say that Climate plays an important role in the living and livelihood of man because his agricultural activities are so much defended on the nature and variability of the Climate.

As Man begin to witness reduction in agricultural production he assumed to be exacerbated by climate change and related events [11]. This scenario makes local farmers to be no longer able to predict onset and cessation of rain, based on past experiences due to their low level of socio-economic status. These lead local farmers with low socio-economic status to plant too early without receiving update on the weather forecast. Hence, it was believed that wealthier farmers benefit more from the daily, week, monthly and seasonal information of weather and climate than the poor subsistence farmers who are the most vulnerable most to challenges of climate change. This problem and other related call the attention of the United Nations Task Team on Social Dimensions of Climate Change to discuss and ensure that the social dimensions of climate change are adequately reflected in global agendas in order to builds on the principles of equity and social justice, especially for the most vulnerable people.

Several attempts have been made by scientists to study the effect of climate change on agricultural productivity and farmers' adaptation in different parts of Nigeria [12]. But information on the effects of farmers' demographic characteristics as determinant factor influencing their level of awareness on climate change in Kano state and Bunkure Local government Area has been limited.

Bunkure local government area is an agrarian rural areas of Kano where most of its inhabitant depend on farming as their main source of livelihood. This trend makes them to be most prone to the effects of climate change and its variability. Therefore is there need to understand the effects of social dimension of the farmers' awareness on climate change and their sources of information to climate change. Understanding this knowledge may greatly help in developing measures and effective monitoring, adaptation and mitigation measures to climate change in the study area and any climate harzard prone areas.

It is against this background that this study was conducted to assess the effects of socio-economic characteristics on farmers' level of awareness to climate change in Bunkure Local Government area of Kano State, Nigeria that will help to mitigate the effects of climate change.

### **2. Material and methods**

#### **2.1 The study area**

Bunkure Local Government Area is about 50 km south from the ancient city of Kano located between Latitude 110 34′ 02"N to Latitude 110 46′ 05"N of the Equator

**163**

**Figure 1.**

*Map of the study area.*

*Effects of Demographic Characteristics for Farmers' to Climate Change in Bunkure, Nigeria*

26′ 36″E to Longitude 80

The study area is comprises of fifteen wards [13] with an aerial extend of 487Km2 with a population of 170,891 inhabitants [14]. It bordered with Dawakin kudu and Kura LGAs by the North, Wudil and Garko LGA by the East while Kibiya at the South Western part of the study area (see **Figure 1**). The climate of the study area is the reincarnation of the climate of Kano which is the tropical dry-and-wet with the movement of the Inter-Tropical Discontinuity (ITD) gives rise not only the two seasons (wet and dry seasons) but four distinct seasons, *Rani, Damina, Kaka* and

The wet season lasts from May to mid-October with a peak in August while the dry season extends from mid-October of one calendar-year to mid-May of the next. The mean annual rainfall is between 800 mm and 900 mm; and variations about the mean annual values are up to ±30%. The mean annual temperature is about

This study adopts survey design approach using primary data in the area in order to assess the effects of socio-economic characteristics on farmers' level of awareness to climate change which in the end will help to mitigate the effects of climate change. The primary data were obtained through questionnaires. The data obtained include information on farmers' socio-economic characteristics, knowledge about

Based on the population figure of the study area, a total of three hundred and eighty-two (382) farmers were selected using the Krejcie and Morgan's [16] method of determining sample size. But after retrieval of the questionnaires only three hundred and fourty-seven (347) was retrieved and the analysis was based on the three hundred and fourty-seven (347). Purposive sampling technique was used for the purpose of selecting respondents. This method is characterized by the use of personal judgment and a deliberate attempt to obtain representative sample

climate change and sources of climate change information.

46′ 43″E of the Prime Meridian.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.95988*

and between Longitude 80

*Bazara* [13, 15].

26 °C [15].

**2.2 Methodology**

*Effects of Demographic Characteristics for Farmers' to Climate Change in Bunkure, Nigeria DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.95988*

and between Longitude 80 26′ 36″E to Longitude 80 46′ 43″E of the Prime Meridian. The study area is comprises of fifteen wards [13] with an aerial extend of 487Km2 with a population of 170,891 inhabitants [14]. It bordered with Dawakin kudu and Kura LGAs by the North, Wudil and Garko LGA by the East while Kibiya at the South Western part of the study area (see **Figure 1**). The climate of the study area is the reincarnation of the climate of Kano which is the tropical dry-and-wet with the movement of the Inter-Tropical Discontinuity (ITD) gives rise not only the two seasons (wet and dry seasons) but four distinct seasons, *Rani, Damina, Kaka* and *Bazara* [13, 15].

The wet season lasts from May to mid-October with a peak in August while the dry season extends from mid-October of one calendar-year to mid-May of the next. The mean annual rainfall is between 800 mm and 900 mm; and variations about the mean annual values are up to ±30%. The mean annual temperature is about 26 °C [15].

#### **2.2 Methodology**

*Agrometeorology*

conditions [2–7].

increasing in temperature that makes some areas to experiencing extreme weather

are so much defended on the nature and variability of the Climate.

Kano state and Bunkure Local government Area has been limited.

area and any climate harzard prone areas.

effects of climate change.

**2. Material and methods**

Kano located between Latitude 110

**2.1 The study area**

The on-going climate change and its associated global warming are expected to cause distinctive climate variability in different zones, which will impact negatively on the ecosystem and agriculture [8, 9]. That is the reason why, it is good for the people to acquire knowledge of weather and climate and their implications on environmental resources including agriculture for the betterment ecosystem and humanity. In fact the impact of climate change is felt worldwide with varying degree as a result of differences in underlying factors that triggered the change. In Nigeria for instance, the severity of the impact is felt by the majority of people whose livelihoods are more defended on agriculture due to its highly depended on weather and climate. Also agriculture in Nigeria is a major user of land resources as it account for about 1.4 billion hectares of land for crop cultivation and an additional 2.5 billion hectares are used for pasture [10]. With this development, one can say that Climate plays an important role in the living and livelihood of man because his agricultural activities

As Man begin to witness reduction in agricultural production he assumed to be exacerbated by climate change and related events [11]. This scenario makes local farmers to be no longer able to predict onset and cessation of rain, based on past experiences due to their low level of socio-economic status. These lead local farmers with low socio-economic status to plant too early without receiving update on the weather forecast. Hence, it was believed that wealthier farmers benefit more from the daily, week, monthly and seasonal information of weather and climate than the poor subsistence farmers who are the most vulnerable most to challenges of climate change. This problem and other related call the attention of the United Nations Task Team on Social Dimensions of Climate Change to discuss and ensure that the social dimensions of climate change are adequately reflected in global agendas in order to builds on the principles of equity and social justice, especially for the most vulnerable people. Several attempts have been made by scientists to study the effect of climate change on agricultural productivity and farmers' adaptation in different parts of Nigeria [12]. But information on the effects of farmers' demographic characteristics as determinant factor influencing their level of awareness on climate change in

Bunkure local government area is an agrarian rural areas of Kano where most of its inhabitant depend on farming as their main source of livelihood. This trend makes them to be most prone to the effects of climate change and its variability. Therefore is there need to understand the effects of social dimension of the farmers' awareness on climate change and their sources of information to climate change. Understanding this knowledge may greatly help in developing measures and effective monitoring, adaptation and mitigation measures to climate change in the study

It is against this background that this study was conducted to assess the effects of socio-economic characteristics on farmers' level of awareness to climate change in Bunkure Local Government area of Kano State, Nigeria that will help to mitigate the

Bunkure Local Government Area is about 50 km south from the ancient city of

34′ 02"N to Latitude 110

46′ 05"N of the Equator

**162**

This study adopts survey design approach using primary data in the area in order to assess the effects of socio-economic characteristics on farmers' level of awareness to climate change which in the end will help to mitigate the effects of climate change. The primary data were obtained through questionnaires. The data obtained include information on farmers' socio-economic characteristics, knowledge about climate change and sources of climate change information.

Based on the population figure of the study area, a total of three hundred and eighty-two (382) farmers were selected using the Krejcie and Morgan's [16] method of determining sample size. But after retrieval of the questionnaires only three hundred and fourty-seven (347) was retrieved and the analysis was based on the three hundred and fourty-seven (347). Purposive sampling technique was used for the purpose of selecting respondents. This method is characterized by the use of personal judgment and a deliberate attempt to obtain representative sample

**Figure 1.** *Map of the study area.*

#### *Agrometeorology*

by including presumable typical areas or groups in the sample [17]. Due to nonavailability of population figures at ward level in the 1991 and 2006 census results, the copies of questionnaire were distributed uniformly among the ten [10] wards in the local government area. Each ward had 38 copies of questionnaire except for Bunkure ward which had an addition of 2 making 40 copies of questionnaire being the most populated ward as the local government headquarters.

The data collected was subjected to simple descriptive statistics and tables, percentages and bar graphs was used to present the data in order to analyze the effects of socio-economic characteristics of respondents in relation to their awareness to climate change.
