ABSTRACT:

This study assessed coping strategies among rice farmers in response to climate variability in Taraba State Nigeria.; random selection of rice farmers according to the proportion of their population were used to select four hundred and eighty (480) rice farmers from thirty-two selected communities Analysis of data were carried out using descriptive statistical tools and Principal component analysis. from the findings of the socio-economic characteristics of the rice farmers (29%) are between 31-40 years that majority (78%) are married; great proportion (82%) were males Majority (82.4%) has formal Education at varying levels ranging from primary to tertiary levels; (26.3%) has the household size of 5-6 while (45.8%) has less than or equal to 2 hectare of land that is used in farming rice Majority (77.7%) had farming experience of less than or twenty years Majority (77.9%) of the rice farmers harvested between 100 and below bags of rice in the last cropping season (76 %) of the rice farmers had no contact with extension agent, majority (89 %) of rice farmers do not belong to cooperative society.in coping with climate variability, rice farmers in the study area had developed and practiced several coping strategies that is considered necessary to cope with the impact of climate variability .In constraints face by rice farmers, the variables in the analysis were explained in five components and all the five component have eigenvalue higher than 1 that shows that rice farmers face all the constraints stated in the variables. Based on the findings the following recommendations were made; Assessment should be carried out on coping strategies rice farmers are currently using to cope with climate variability including any traditional practices to know the effective ones.it is advised that this findings be shared among rice farmers and other stakeholders in other location in the zone. Financial and institutional constraints is one of the highest constraints face by rice farmers in the study area there Government should provide required assistance to farmers by training them on new innovations on coping strategies technologies for effective rice production.