Households' perception and livelihood vulnerability to climate change in a coastal area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

This study examines households' perception and livelihood vulnerability to climate change in a coastal area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. It employed multistage sampling procedure, selected a total of 101 households from three coastal communities in Ibeno local government area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria and obtained primary data on several indicators through interviews guided by a structured questionnaire. From the data obtained, the study examined households' perception and developed a livelihood vulnerability index (LVI) to assess livelihood vulnerability. The result showed that households in the study area generally perceive that all the climate variables considered in the study, especially timing and length of the average rainy season, have changed over time. These are in line with meteorological data obtained from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency. In addition, the LVI shows that households are vulnerable to changes in climate variables. Households in the study area are striving to adapt to these changes but facing many challenges of which lack of adequate finance is the most important. Although these challenges are multifarious, they can be reduced through adequate support of government and non-governmental organizations. Consequently, policy recommendations are discussed.