Climate Change Awareness and Sustainable Agricultural Productivity among Rural Farmers: Implications for Adult Education and Community Development

Climate change continues to threaten rural livelihoods, particularly in areas where agriculture depends largely on rainfall. Despite increasing research on climate change adaptation in Nigeria, limited empirical evidence has examined climate change awareness and sustainable agricultural productivity from the perspective of Adult Education and Community Development, particularly in Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State. This study examined the level of climate change awareness among rural farmers and assessed the effects of climate change on sustainable agricultural productivity. A descriptive survey design was adopted. Data were collected from 130 purposively selected rural farmers using a structured questionnaire validated by experts. The instrument yielded a test–retest reliability coefficient of 0.80, while mean and standard deviation were used for data analysis. The findings revealed a high level of climate change awareness among the respondents (cluster mean = 3.34). However, climate change continued to adversely affect sustainable agricultural productivity through declining crop yields, erratic weather conditions, recurrent droughts and floods, changing crop suitability, and increased pest and disease incidence (cluster mean = 3.21). The study concludes that although rural farmers possess substantial climate change awareness, sustaining agricultural productivity requires continuous adult education, effective agricultural extension services, and community-based learning initiatives that strengthen farmers' adaptive capacity. The study contributes context-specific evidence to support educational interventions, agricultural extension programmes, and policies aimed at enhancing climate resilience and sustainable agricultural productivity among rural farming communities.