Green Economy-A Panacea for the Devastating Effects of Climate Change on Agricultural Productivity in Southeast Nigeria

The study was carried out in southeast Nigeria. It focused on green economic path and the severe implications of the alternative development pathways as typified by the devastating effects of climate change on agricultural productivity. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select a sample of 312 cassava based food crop farmers. Data were collected with the aid of structured questionnaire. Total factor productivity was used as an index of agricultural productivity. The effects of climate change on productivity were determined using ordinary least square regression method. Results showed that the mean age, household size, annual household income and farm size of farmers in the study area were 51 years, 8 persons per home, ₦391,530.64 and 0.84 hectares respectively. It was also found that factors such as excessive heat (Eh), frequency of dry spell (Ds) and frequency or incidence of flooding and erosion (Fd) negatively affected agricultural productivity while volume of rainfall positively affected productivity. The study concluded that extreme poverty is a threat to the quest for green economy and safe environment. Hence the need for a synergy among nations towards poverty reduction, cleaner and more sustainable development strategies and enlightenment campaign on the need for low carbon technologies.