The influence of cropping intensification on vulnerability to floods among farming households in Kwara State, Nigeria
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Date
2014
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Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa
Abstract
In the past four decades, economic losses due to natural hazards such as, floods disasters have increased in folds and have also resulted in major loss of human lives and livelihoods thereby putting sustainable development at risk. Thus, this study assesses the influence of cropping intensification on vulnerability to floods among farming households in Kwara State, Nigeria. Descriptive statistics and logit regression analyses are the analytical tools employed to achieve the research objectives. The results showed that household head type, farm size, cropping intensification, distance to input market and education of household heads are the important variables explaining vulnerability to floods in the study area. Also, the result indicated that economic, cultural, technological, structural and social coping strategies are the important strategies employed by farming households to deal with the negative impact of flood in the area. The most (20%) widely adopted coping strategy is replanting (cultural) which is closely followed by crop diversification (economic). For sustainable development of the area favourable inputs and output markets as well as other policies that could facilitate households’ access to agricultural inputs and education are hereby suggested. Public awareness programmes and campaigns on the relationships linking sustainable development, natural hazards, vulnerabilities and disasters, to enhance disaster reduction measures should be encouraged.
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