CLIMATE CHANGE LITERACY: THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE AND MEDIA IN CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION AMONGST FARMERS IN IMO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This paper investigates the roles language and media play on how people understand and respond to climate change issues. The study focuses on how language choice (English and local languages such as Igbo) and media channels (radio, community meetings, mobile phones and social media) influence farmers’ understanding of climate change, as well as their capacity to adopt appropriate adaptation and mitigation practices. The emphasis on language and media is important because effective communication is central to improving climate change literacy and enabling behavioural change among rural farmers. Using questionnaire and oral discussion, a total of 120 farmers were interviewed. Descriptive tools of analysis were used to analyze data collected. It was observed that the respondents were fully aware of climate change menace, such as decreased crop yield (97.5%), loss of animals (90.8%), prolonged dry spell (98.3%), frequent flooding (94.1%) among other signs. Several media tools are used such as; newspaper (97.5%), radio (100%), television (90%), magazines (83.3%) and many more. Language and media raise awareness (M=2.80), shapes attitudes/beliefs (M=2.65), education and youth empowerment (M=2.54), communication risk/impacts (m=2.85) encourages preparedness (M=2.83), supporting early warning systems (m=2.64), developing critical thinking skills (M=2.50). The following adaptation and mitigation strategies were employed; agro-forestry practices (96.6%), contour/bonding/terrace (98.3%), mulching/cover cropping (96.6%), crop rotation (96.6%), planting early maturing (97.5%) and use of resistant crop varieties (98.3%) among others. However, there are challenges to media dissemination of climate information to farmers. They include misinformation/disinformation (96.6%), language barrier (98.3%), poor communication infrastructure (99.1%), trust issues (95%), limited feedback mechanism (92.5%), among others. To address these challenges, fact-checking and network verifications, bridging the digital divide, rebuilding trust, enhancing feedback mechanism among others need be done.