By Hanny Henry
Experts from academia, government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have called for stronger climate-resilience measures in Adamawa State, warning that changing weather patterns are threatening food production, child nutrition, public health and livelihoods.
The experts made the call during a media dialogue on climate-resilient interventions organised under the Accelerating Sanitation and Water for All Phase III (ASWA III), with support from the Government of the Netherlands and implemented in partnership with the Adamawa State Government and UNICEF.
They said climate change should no longer be viewed merely as an environmental concern, stressing that its impact cuts across agriculture, food security, water supply, sanitation, healthcare and the wellbeing of children.
Abel Adebayo, Prof at the Department of Geography, Modibbo Adama University (MAU), Yola, said erratic rainfall, prolonged dry spells, flooding, rising temperatures and environmental degradation were already affecting agricultural productivity in the state.
Adebayo said the changes were making it difficult for farmers to plan their activities, noting that the planting season, which traditionally started around late April in the 1990s, had in recent years shifted to as late as June.
He cited preliminary findings from a study of the 2024 drought, which showed that groundnut production declined by 31 per cent and beans by 46 per cent, while maize and rice production each fell by about 3 per cent.
“When food is affected, both in quality and quantity, children suffer,” Adebayo said, warning that declining agricultural production could worsen hunger and malnutrition, particularly among children in farming households.
He further disclosed that Adamawa recorded a 31.7 per cent decline in annual rainfall and a 31 per cent reduction in the number of rainy days. He said rainfall declined by 47 per cent in May, 46 per cent in July and 76.3 per cent in September.
Nambam Dawap, UNICEF WASH Officer at its Bauchi Field Office, described climate change as a child-rights issue, saying climate-related hazards often trigger multiple crises for children.
“UNICEF views climate change as a child rights issue because hazards stack. Floods close schools, and what begins as a weather shock can quickly become a health and protection crisis for children,” she said.
Dawap noted that children were particularly vulnerable because they depended on essential services such as water, sanitation, healthcare, nutrition and education, all of which could be disrupted by climate emergencies.
She urged stakeholders to put children at the centre of climate action and strengthen systems that protect them before, during and after climate-related disasters.
Similarly, Aisha Yusuf,the Head of WASH at the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), called for climate considerations to be incorporated into the planning and implementation of water and sanitation projects.
She recommended measures such as raising and reinforcing latrines in flood-prone communities, conducting geophysical surveys before drilling boreholes and training local maintenance teams to keep water facilities functional.
“From climate awareness to climate action means designing for the risks we already see,” Yusuf said, adding that WASH projects should be assessed not only by the number of facilities delivered but also by their ability to withstand climate shocks.
She said UNICEF-supported youth groups, including the YPASS initiative, were already involved in climate awareness and action, while environmental health clubs in schools were being expanded to cover climate change, personal hygiene, safe water, sanitation, waste management and food hygiene.
The dialogue also referenced UNICEF’s Children’s Climate Risk Report 2026, which found that 1.1 billion children, nearly half of the world’s children, are exposed to at least three overlapping climate hazards, placing their health, education and survival at risk.
Participants said climate shocks could worsen food insecurity and malnutrition while disrupting water, sanitation and healthcare services, increasing children’s exposure to diseases and threatening their growth and development.
The experts therefore advocated climate-smart farming, improved water management, environmental conservation and community-based adaptation measures to protect farmers and strengthen food production.
They also called for closer integration of climate action with child nutrition programmes, noting that children’s wellbeing depends on access to safe water, sanitation, healthcare and diverse, nutritious food.
Two community representatives, Shagari Bello and Istifanus Garba, shared their experiences of the devastating effects of flooding, including displacement, illness among children and disruption to schooling.
They appealed to the government and development partners to strengthen flood mitigation measures, provide safe drinking water and create safer locations where displaced families and children can live and return to school.
They stressed that sustained collaboration among government agencies, universities, development partners, the media and communities would be critical to generating evidence, raising public awareness and developing practical solutions to the growing climate threat.
