Climate Change and Food Insecurity in Ekiti State, Nigeria: a Case Study of Oye Local Government Area of Ekiti State

Climate change is caused by the release of billions of tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other heat trapping gases known as Green House Gases into the atmosphere. This results in depletion of ozone layer leading to increase in the earth’s surface temperature due to direct heating of earth’s surface by the sun. In Nigeria, thousands of people and their families whose livelihood depend agriculture are affected by climate change as extreme weather events, droughts and flooding influences agricultural productivity. This study therefore investigates climate change and Food insecurity in Nigeria using Oye Local Government Area of Ekiti State as a case study. The population of this study consists of 200 respondents randomly selected from the study area and a researcher-designed questionnaire was used as the instrument of data collection. The results revealed that increased industrialization, increased waste generation and excessive deforestation are all drivers of climate change. The study concludes that climate change no doubt presents an emerging threat to food security in Nigeria. The study recommends that appropriate legislative measures and policies should be put in place to ensure environmental-friendly practices and that practices such as gas flaring, deforestation, and uncontrolled burning of fossil fuels should be reduced to counter the effect of climate change.