Climate unpredictability and weather extremes are being projected as capable of presenting additional challenges for farmers currently engaged in the low-technology based food production systems in sub-Saharan countries like Nigeria. This study assessed rice farming households’ vulnerability to climate change in Kwara State, Nigeria. Primary data, collected from 150 respondents using simple random sampling procedure were analysed employing descriptive statistic was use to describe the coping strategies adopted and Human Development Index (HDI) was created to assess vulnerability of rice farmers to climate change. Statistical analyses indicated a vulnerability assessment index of 0.3001, pointing to a fact that the zone is prone to the adverse effects of climatic variability. For this reason, the study empirically underscores the need for farmers to adopt and adapt the planting of drought tolerant and/or early maturing varieties of rice. Importantly, the capacities of the local communities needs to be strengthened vis-à-vis the relationship between climate change and crop production. Capacity building at the farm level is crucial for improving crop, soil and water management, enhancing the demand for and use of better and more efficient production inputs. Tied to farm-level capacity building is the need to refocus public agricultural-based institutions towards exposing the rice farmers to effective mitigation strategies in the wake of climate change, provision of agricultural inputs, expansion of irrigation, efficient and effective extension service delivery, market development and other forms of necessary support.

Household level vulnerability analyses are becoming main issue in economics literature. Yet very few empirical works have been done to examine the extent of Eastern Ethiopia urban (Dira Dawa, Harar and Jigjiga towns) households’ vulnerability to multidimensional poverty. This paper tried to fill the gap by using a survey that was conducted to collect information on household’s characteristics, socioeconomic status, shocks experience and responses to shocks during the year 2016. Unlike conventional studies of household vulnerability, this study calculates household’s probability of experiencing a broad and non-monetary characterization of poverty: the multidimensional poverty index using Structural Equation and Tobit model. The Structural Equation Model result revealed that, the health and education dimensions of multidimensional poverty significantly contributed a lot to households’ vulnerability to multidimensional poverty. Based on the Tobit model result households’ vulnerability to multidimensional poverty would be reduced if the household is wealthier, better educated healthier, employed and has the practice of reducing the size of meals at the time of shock. Contrary to this, if the household has large family size, prone to health problem, and has not developed the culture of reducing the number of meals per day, there is high risk of vulnerability to multidimensional poverty. Hence, the study recommended that there is a dire need for policies and programs that can improve wealth and education statuses of household members, create employment opportunity, promote family planning, improved health situation and accessibility of food for the vulnerable households.

The study analysed the extent of vulnerability to food insecurity and household coping mechanisms among yam farmers in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Cross-sectional data were used for this study with the aid of a well-designed questionnaire. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 360 respondents. Multinomial logit (MNL) model and Feasible Generalized Least Square (FGLS) method were employed for the data analysis. The results of the FGLS model showed that 49.3% of the households were food secure and experienced low vulnerability to food insecurity. However, 30.23% of them were food insecure and highly vulnerable; they are considered as chronically food-insecure households. Also, the study revealed that 11.01% of the food secure households may be food insecure in the future if necessary attention and intervention are not given by both households and the government. Again, 9.4% of the households that were experiencing food shortage, as at the time of the study, may recover in the future. The findings of MNL revealed that the age of the household head, main occupation, household size, land size, net household income, and membership in a cooperative society were the main significant factors in yam farming households' decision to use coping strategies. As a result, it is recommended that leveraging the potential role of coping mechanisms already used by households during food shortages, and building a comprehensive human capital development, such as education, will be vital policy options to reduce food insecurity.