Climate Variability and Livestock Production in Nigeria: Lessons for Sustainable Livestock Production

The study examined the relationship between climate variability and livestock production and the lessons that can be drawn for achieving sustainable livestock production in Nigeria. The study employed time series data on annual rainfall and livestock production given by index of the aggregate livestock production over the period of 1970 to 2008. The data were obtained from various publications of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency. The data were analyzed through the instrumentality of econometric tools such as Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test, Vector auto regression (VAR) lag order selection test and Pairwise granger causality. The results of the data analysis revealed the existence of unidirectional causality from climate variability to livestock production in Nigeria and this implies that climate variability has been significant in influencing livestock production over the period under study. Based on the foregoing, it is recommended as a matter of urgency that government should continually sensitize farmers on the challenges of climate change and feasible adaptation measures that they can adhere to in order to avert the detrimental effects of climate change on sustainable livestock production. In other words, implementation of the policy thrust on climate smart agriculture should be pursued vigorously.