COST AND RETURN ANALYSIS OF YAM FARMERS RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN BENUE STATE

Abstract

This study conducted a cost and return analysis of yam farmers' resilience to climate change in Benue State, Nigeria. The analysis focused on understanding the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers and how these factors influence their resilience and economic returns. The socio-economic data revealed that the
majority of yam farmers were male (65.18%), aged between 36 and 65 years, with a mean age of 46 years. The majority (41.30%) completed primary education and (74.09%) were primarily engaged in farming as their main occupation. A budgetary analysis of the farmers' production revealed that yam farming is profitable, with a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 1.13, indicating that for every ₦1 invested in yam production, farmers gained a return of ₦1.13. The study further explored resilience factors through factor analysis and structural equation modeling, identifying assets, adaptive capacity, and agricultural practices as key
variables significantly impacting resilience to climate change. Assets had the strongest relationship with productivity (p=0.002), followed by agricultural practices and technology (p=0.025) and social networks (p=0.078). Among the analyzed variables, only farm size showed statistical significance at the 0.05 level (p=0.012). For farmers with high resilience, the t-value of 50.97 and p-value of 0.000 indicated a very strong and significant positive relationship with productivity outcomes. The findings highlight that increasing adaptive capacity, enhancing social networks, and improving access to technology are crucial to strengthening farmers' resilience. These results underscore the need for policy interventions aimed at improving access to affordable inputs, mechanization, and resilient yam varieties to enhance productivity and climate change adaptation among yam farmers in Benue State.