Abstract

The clear evidence that climate change is already a reality calls for actions not just to slow down the process or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases (mitigation) but also to assist those affected or threatened already to adjust in natural and human systems to a new or changing environment (adaptation). The paper examined the role of extension in agricultural adaptation to climate change in Enugu State. A multi-stage random sampling technique was used in selecting 120 respondents. Descriptive statistics were used in analyzing data from the study. Results show that the most significant effect of climate change in the area was intense weed growth (= 4.52) while the most popular adaptive measure adopted by respondents was the use of resistant crop and animal varieties/species (95.43%). The study proposed that the key roles of extension in agricultural adaptation to climate change were in the re-training of extension staff to acquire new capacity in climate risk management (= 3.93), setting up of emergency management units in extension agencies (= 3.91), dissemination of innovations on best practices and building resilience capacities of vulnerable people in climate risk management (= 3.90), and providing feedbacks to governments and interested agencies on climate change issues (= 3.9). The paper recommends a change in the extension service agenda to accommodate the challenges currently posed by climate change by adopting new roles identified in the study and the need for increased research and innovation for sustainable adaptation to climate change.

Key words: Role, extension, agricultural adaptation, climate change.