ANALYSIS OF EFFECT OF FLOOD ON LIVELIHOODS AND ADAPTATION MEASURES OF SMALLHOLDER CROP FARMERS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

This study explores how floods affect the socio-economic livelihoods of smallholder crop farmers in Ikere community, Ekiti State, and how those farmers adapt. It aims to give a thorough understanding of the impact of floods and of the underlying causes of the community's vulnerability. It is also hoped that the findings will encourage other stakeholders to carry out further research on questions the study raises.

Natural disasters have become more frequent over the years, causing loss of life, damage to property and harm to the environment. The number of people at risk grows each year, and most live in developing countries where high poverty makes them more vulnerable. Poor people tend to live in hazardous places such as flood plains and steep slopes, and they have fewer resources to protect themselves. They are less likely to receive timely warnings, and even when warnings are issued they have fewer options for reducing their losses. Poverty also weakens a household's resilience and slows its recovery. Efforts to reduce, prepare for and prevent disasters must therefore address social and economic issues, not only the geological and meteorological ones.

Floods differ in character. Some give days or weeks of warning, as when a large river rises slowly, while flash floods give none. The onset may be gradual or sudden, and floods often follow seasonal patterns. Their main effects come from inundation and erosion, and they may isolate communities or force large-scale evacuations.

Floods are especially damaging to farm households in Nigeria. A study of the 2012 flood found that households in flood-affected areas that depended heavily on agriculture for income may have suffered a significant fall in per capita expenditure. The effects were not uniform. They were larger for female-headed households than for male-headed households, and larger for households without access to credit than for those with it (Urama et al., 2019). Farmers' responses also vary. Research on smallholder rice farmers in Kwara State found that most adopted early-maturing varieties to harvest before the rains peak, while few changed crops or moved to upland cropping, and the choice of strategy depended on factors such as education, past losses, savings, household size and access to climate information (Ajibade et al., 2019). Heavy rains in recent years have caused recurrent flash floods and water-logging in valleys and low-lying areas, with impacts on infrastructure, agriculture, education, health, water and sanitation, and housing.

Statement of the Problem

The problem addressed by this study is the effect of floods on the livelihoods of smallholder crop farmers in Ikere community, Ekiti State. The study area is low-lying and badly affected by flooding, and its population along the river has grown over the years. Most of the land is used for crop production, supplemented by some livestock keeping and fishing. Because the community lies along the river banks, it has little ability to control the hydrological events that come from the river's catchment.

The area has been flooded in three seasons: 2005/06, 2016/17 and 2017/18. The community describes the 2017/18 season as the worst, in rainfall and in impact. The floods displaced people from their homes and affected infrastructure, crops, health, education and the environment, in addition to damaging property.

The study therefore seeks answers to the following questions:

• What is the impact of floods on the socio-economic livelihoods of people in Ikere community?
• Which groups are most vulnerable to floods, and what adaptation measures do they use?
• What sustainable development and policy options can address the flood problem?

The findings will contribute to efforts to improve disaster risk management and mitigation in flood-prone areas.

Objectives of the Study

The overall objective is to analyse the effect of flooding on the livelihoods and adaptation measures of smallholder crop farmers in Ikere community, Ekiti State. The specific objectives are to:
i. Identify the impact of floods on the socio-economic livelihoods of people in Ikere community.
ii. Establish and analyse the underlying causes of vulnerability among the people.
iii. Identify the groups most affected by floods, including gender considerations.
iv. Identify the coping mechanisms the community uses during floods and strengthen the positive adaptation measures.
v. Establish the cultural impact on traditional ways of life and work, family structures and authority, religious and tribal factors, archaeological factors and social networks.

Significance of the Study

The study assesses and estimates the effects of floods on the community's livelihoods and identifies the underlying causes of vulnerability. Its results should provide key inputs for designing sustainable measures that reduce the impact of floods and the risks that go with them.

Scope of the Study

The study was carried out in Ikere community, Ekiti State. The community has experienced erratic rainfall, including droughts that caused widespread crop failure in the 1998/99, 2002/03 and 2003/04 seasons. Floods also cause crop failure, though less often than drought, and in the seasons of 2005/06, 2016/17 and 2017/18 they became an important cause of crop failure and affected key sectors of the economy. Ikere was chosen because flooding has recurred there over several consecutive seasons, which makes it a matter of real concern for the community.

REFERENCES

Ajibade, E. T., Babatunde, R. O., Ajibade, T. B., & Akinsola, G. O. (2019). Empirical analysis of adaptation strategies used in mitigating flood related losses by rice farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria. Agrosearch, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.4314/agrosh.v19i1.5

Urama, N. E., Eboh, E. C., & Onyekuru, A. (2019). Impact of extreme climate events on poverty in Nigeria: A case of the 2012 flood. Climate and Development, 11(1), 27–34.