Gender-Differentiated Vulnerability to Climate Change and Adaptation Challenges in Wamakko Local Government Area, Sokoto, Northwestern Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47514/kjg.2026.08.01.069Keywords:
Climate change; gender; vulnerability; adaptive capacity; climate-smart agriculture; Wamakko; Sokoto State; Nigeria.Abstract
Climate change is increasingly reshaping livelihoods, resource access and household well-being in semi-arid northern Nigeria, yet the social and gendered dimensions of these impacts remain insufficiently documented at local scale. This study assessed gender-differentiated perceptions of climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation challenges in Wamakko Local Government Area of Sokoto State, northwestern Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted, and primary data were collected from 381 adult respondents using a structured questionnaire administered through purposive and systematic sampling. Descriptive statistics, comprising frequencies and percentages, were used to summarize respondents’ characteristics and perceptions. The findings indicate that increased temperature and heatwaves (28%), drought, water scarcity and water stress (26%), and flooding (22%) were among the most frequently reported climate-related impacts. Overall, 77% of respondents regarded climate change as either moderately serious or very serious. A substantial 73% perceived women and children as facing greater risks during extreme weather events. Respondents associated women’s vulnerability with unequal access to land and productive resources, restricted participation in decision-making, unpaid domestic responsibilities, limited climate information and constrained access to finance, training and extension services. Lack of knowledge and training was the most frequently identified constraint to climate-smart agriculture (40%), while 68% perceived men as more likely than women to adopt climate-smart agricultural practices. The study argues that these patterns reflect socially differentiated adaptive capacity rather than exposure to climate hazards alone. Effective adaptation in Wamakko therefore requires gender-responsive climate governance, equitable access to productive resources, inclusive climate information systems, stronger agricultural extension and recognition of women’s local knowledge and agency.
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