IMPACT OF CLIMATE VARIABILITY ON FOOD AVAILABILITY IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Food availability is one of the indicators of national development. It is an important component of food security. Many nations, especially developing countries, in the world today find it difficult to provide adequate food for their citizens. Several factors are responsible for the inability of nations to produce enough food for their people. Such factors could be physical, biological or economical. This paper examines the impact of climate variability on food availability in Kwara State. Climatic data on rainfall, temperature, relative humidity, sunshine hour and evaporation were obtained for a period of thirteen years. Similarly, agricultural data on maize, rice, sorghum, millet, yam and cassava were collected for the same period. The data were analyzed using multiple regression, trend analysis and correlation statistics. The result of the study revealed that climate variability has a weak impact on food availability in the State. This implies that variation in food availability in Kwara State could be attributed to other non-climatic factors. The paper, therefore, suggests measures such as application of fertilizer to improve soil fertility and provision of credit facilities to farmers in order to encourage mechanized agriculture.