ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF FLOODS ON LIVELIHOODS AND ADAPTATION MEASURES OF CROP FARMERS

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to assess the impact of flooding on agricultural households in Delta State. The study focused on providing a detailed analysis of the socioeconomic characteristics of smallholder crop farmers in the designated area. It aimed to identify the underlying causes of floods in the study area and assess the economic impact of flood hazards on smallholder crop farmers. Additionally, the study examined the vulnerability of smallholder crop farmers' families to floods and proposed adaptive strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of floods on smallholder farm households. A total of 395 smallholder farmers were selected at random from the Oleh and Isoko South local government areas. Data were gathered from a combination of primary and secondary sources and subsequently analysed using a range of descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The findings indicate that a significant proportion of the participants, specifically 51%, identified as females. Additionally, the majority of respondents, accounting for 57.78%, fell within the age range of 20 to 59 years. Furthermore, a substantial 70.56% of the participants reported being married.A significant majority of the respondents, accounting for over 87%, reported having received some form of formal education. The average household size was 8 persons, and the majority of farmers, specifically 76.66%, possessed farm sizes of 1.0 hectare or less. The factors contributing to flooding in the area are as follows: prolonged periods of rainfall, land use patterns, improper disposal of waste into water channels, inadequate and substandard drainage systems, topography, characteristics of urban land surfaces and buildings, and stream basin parameters. The absence of a proper drainage network for the disposal of flood water is considered a significant contributing factor that significantly exacerbates flooding in the study area. During the 2012 flood in the study area, a significant proportion of sampled respondents experienced adverse effects. Specifically, over 27% of the houses belonging to the respondents collapsed, while approximately 43% reported experiencing health problems. The findings from the regression analysis examining the impact of socioeconomic variables on vulnerability to flood hazards indicate that savings, membership in ROSCAS, farm output, and income all have a statistically significant negative effect on vulnerability. Conversely, the Dependency Ratio exhibits a statistically significant positive relationship with vulnerability at a 5% significance level. Therefore, the susceptibility to flood events is significantly diminished as there is an increase in savings, membership of ROSCAS, farm output, and the level of income among smallholder farmers. Conversely, the opposite effect occurs when the dependency ratio increases. Various measures to mitigate the risks of flooding in the area have been identified. These include river re-channelisation, elevating the foundation of houses to withstand flood water levels, and employing sand bags as levees to prevent the ingress of flood water. It is advisable that timely notification of potential flooding, derived from analysis of climatic variability, can assist individuals residing in flood-prone regions in making proactive preparations. Furthermore, the implementation of construction and enhancement measures for drainage networks to efficiently manage the disposal of floodwater will significantly contribute to mitigating the potential risks associated with flooding.