This study investigated indigenous agricultural practices and the challenges posed
by climate change to small-scale farmers. A total of 120 respondents were
randomly selected and interviewed. Important information on climate change and
how they cope with its effect locally were solicited and data collected were
analyzed using descriptive statistics. Indigenous practices regularly undertaken by
farmers include, crop rotation, shifting cultivation, mulching, bush fallowing, use of
organic manure, tillage, except that they claimed to rarely practice zero tillage.
Over the last 10 years (2000-2011), farmers have experienced certain weather
anomalies of which they claimed icluded increase temperatures, decline in rainfall
and fluctuations in the intensity of harmattan, the intensity of sunlight, and change
in their seasonal calendar and decline in crop yield over the last 10 years (2000 –
2011). It is obvious that some indigenous practices in a way ameliorate the effects
of global warming by reduction of green house gas emission except for bush
burning and deforestation. Hence farmers should be encouraged to improve and
consolidate some of these indigenous practices, and as a matter of policy,
extension workers should be made committed to this local campaign.