Climate-Smart Agriculture Information Needs of Arable Crop Farmers in Osun State: Implications for Food Security

This study assessed the Climate-smart agriculture information needs of arable crop farmers in Osun State: implications for food security. Specifically, it identified the various sources of Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) information for food security; determined farmers' information needs and adaptation strategies to ensure food security; assessed the perceived benefits of CSA information for food security and identified the barriers to CSA information use for food security among the arable crop farmers in Osun State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 180 farmers from six LGAs across three agricultural zones. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results showed that farmers’ associations (x̄ =2.49) were the primary CSA information source, followed by social media (x̄ =2.17) and religious organizations (x̄ =2.16). Most farmers (61.1%) had a moderate need for CSA information. Also, 85 percent of respondents reported perceiving significant benefits from climate change information. The main barriers to accessing CSA information were the high costs of farmland and irrigation facilities. Socio-economic factors such as sex (χ2=7.119) and ethnicity (χ2=19.155) significantly influenced adaptation strategies to ensure food security. Targeted extension programmes and localized outreach initiatives to improve CSA information access and enhance farmers’ adaptation to climate change for food security.