Mitigating Strategies against Climate Change on Poultry Production in Southwest Nigeria. A Case Study of Layers Production

This study examines the effects of climate change and the socioeconomic factors influencing mitigation strategies among layers poultry farmers in Southwest Nigeria. Primary data were collected from 250 respondents through random sampling, descriptive statistics and a binary logit regression model to analyse the data obtained. The results show that poultry farmers have mean age and experienced of 45.2 and 11.7years respectively, the majority (92.4%) are educated, mean household size of 7, average of 3 extension visit per year. Climate change significantly affects poultry production through heat stress, reduced egg production, increased mortality, rising feed costs, and the emergence of new diseases. Farmers strongly perceived that high temperature lowers egg output and increases water intake, it also raised production costs and reduced profitability. To cope with these challenges, farmers adopted several adaptation strategies, including improved ventilation, adequate water and feed supply, proper housing, vaccination, and veterinary consultation. The most widely adopted strategies were ventilation and veterinary services (96%), followed by adequate feeding and watering (92%). The logit regression results revealed that age, education, off-farm income, farm size, extension access, farming experience, climate information, veterinary services, access to credit, and training significantly influence adaptation decisions. Access to climate information and credit had particularly strong effects. The study concludes that climate change poses serious threats to poultry productivity and profitability. It recommends strengthening extension services, improving access to climate information and credit, and promoting climate-smart poultry practices to enhance resilience and ensure sustainable poultry production in Nigeria.