The Impact of Climate Change on Agricultural Practices and Outputs in Bayelsa State (Published)
This study examined the impact of climate change on agricultural practices and outputs in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Agriculture in the state, largely dominated by subsistence and smallholder farmers, is highly vulnerable to climate variability due to its dependence on rainfall and the region’s fragile ecosystem. Adopting the use of both primary and secondary sources, this research highlighted how rising temperatures, irregular rainfall patterns, flooding, sea-level rise, and increased salinity intrusion have altered the agricultural landscape of Bayelsa State. The study adopted the Political Ecology Theory as a template of study. It revealed that climatic shifts have disrupted planting and harvesting cycles, reduced soil fertility, and contributed to declining crop yields, fish stock depletion, and post-harvest losses. The study underscored the adaptive strategies (including crop diversification, shifting cultivation, the use of traditional forecasting methods, and migration to less flood-prone areas) employed by farmers to mitigate the effects of climate change in Bayelsa State. The paper established that without coordinated interventions such as climate-resilient agricultural policies, infrastructural support, access to improved seedlings, and sustainable environmental management, Bayelsa’s food security and rural livelihoods will remain at risk. It recommends for the promotion of climate-smart agriculture, strengthening of agricultural extension and early warning systems, and investment in infrastructure and irrigation facilities amongst others. It concludes that the impact of climate change on agricultural practices and outputs in Bayelsa State is both profound and multidimensional, affecting crop production, fishing activities, soil fertility, and the livelihood security of farming communities.
Keywords: Agriculture, Bayelsa State, Climate Change, Diversification, Food Security
Diversifying the Nigerian Economy: Leveraging On Tax Revenue Superstructure and the Human Capital Infrastructure (Published)
This paper is set to empirically investigate the dynamics of tax revenue and human capital development in accelerating the rate of diversification of the Nigerian economy in view of de-escalating the role of petroleum in the global economy. To achieve this, Error-Correction Modeling approach was adopted for a period of between 1980 and 2018. This study revealed that the coefficients of human capital development, as captured by Human Development Index (HDI), Ease of Doing Business (EDB), and Tax Revenue (TXR), were all statistically germane, suggesting that these variables were critical in improving the growth rate of the Nigerian economy, hence, significant and pivotal to diversifying the Nigerian economy. Also, from the result, the coefficient of the speed of adjustment indicated that it would take about 71 percent for growth rate of the Nigerian economy to respond to changes in any of the explanatory variables. The paper therefore recommended that adequate measures be put in place towards creating the enabling economic environment that will stimulate foreign and domestic investments, which will improve tax base, thereby contributing to economic growth.
Keywords: Diversification, ease of doing business, resource-rich economies