article · Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
Fish farmers in developing countries face undesirable impacts from climate change and adopt various measures to adapt to environmental stresses. An investigation into fish farming communities in Epe, Lagos State, Nigeria, identified the primary practices and determinants influencing these choices. The most common adaptation measures include seeking early warning information regarding climate change, practised by over three quarters of farmers, and avoiding flood prone areas, practised by sixty percent. Several factors significantly increase the adoption of adaptation strategies, most notably participation in workshops and conferences, access to capital, farmer knowledge, and access to early warning data. Conversely, higher fish stocking numbers correlate with reduced adaptation activity. Adaptation amongst these farmers remains largely autonomous and heavily dependent on credit facilities and information access, indicating a need for accessible early warning systems and broader climate mitigation technologies.
Climate change poses severe risks to aquaculture, which is an essential food source and livelihood in developing regions. Understanding what drives fish farmers to adapt helps policymakers, development agencies, and financial institutions design targeted support. Ensuring fish farmers have access to finance, technical training, and timely early warning climate data directly strengthens the resilience and food security of vulnerable coastal farming communities.
The findings highlight clear opportunities for providers of climate information services, early warning communication platforms, and tailored financial products aimed at smallholder aquaculture. Because fish farmers rely on autonomous adaptation driven by capital and information, data delivery and credit mechanisms represent applied, field-ready solutions. The research also cites carbon capture and storage technology as an intervention to reduce climate impacts, though this remains an early-stage concept within this sector.
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BACKGROUND: Undesirable impacts of climate change have been a common occurrence that has made fish farmers in developing countries adopt some climate-change adaptation strategies. However, little is known about determinants of climate-change adaptation strategies used by these fish farmers. This study, therefore, articulates novelties on adaptation to climate change, as well ascertains determinants of adaptation strategies used by fish farmers in Epe, Lagos State, Nigeria. RESULTS: Climate change adaptation strategies mostly used by fish farmers include frequent seeking for early warning information about climate change (76.7%) and avoidance of areas susceptible to flooding (60.0%). Climate-change adaptation strategies used by fish farmers were significantly influenced by access to early warning information (β = 7.21), knowledge of farmers about climate change adaptation strategies (β = 8.86), access to capital (β = 28.25), and participation in workshop and conferences (β = 37.19) but were reduced by number of fish stocking (β = -2.06). CONCLUSION: The adaptation strategies used by fish farmers were autonomous and mostly determined by the access to credit facilities and information. Development policy should focus on carbon capture and storage technology in order to reduce adverse impacts of climate change, as well as making early warning information on climate change available to fish farmers. These will enhance adaptation to climate change.
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DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.6452
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