River based livelihood in a changing environment: a case study of the Niger river in Nigeria

Climate change has direct and indirect impact on livelihoods of local community and this can have serious impact on the behaviour of local farmers and fishers. The changing climatic factor like temperature can affect how some crops thrive hitherto affect the behaviour of local communities especially those who depend on natural resource for livelihood. More so, adverse climate change affects the economic outcome of farmers and fishers, especially during flooding or drought; and this varies for different regions of the world. This research seeks to develop a methodology that spans both physical and human geography to examine how changing climatic factors affect the livelihoods of local communities on floodplains. A 30 years secondary data on hydrology parameters will be sourced and simulated to examine the trend and pattern of flooding. Furthermore, through a participatory process (Focus group discussion and questionnaire), primary data will examine the coping strategies and vulnerability of farmers and fishers during extreme weather event. The project among other things will reveal how climate change contributes to the livelihood risk of farmers and fishers and their coping strategies put in place to limit vulnerability