IOSR Journal of Economics and Finance (IOSR-JEF) e-ISSN: 2321-5933, p-ISSN: 2321-5925.Volume 11, Issue 2 Ser. III (Mar – Apr 2020), PP 35-40 www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/5933-1102033540 www.iosrjournals.org 35 | Page Climate Change, Adaptation Efforts and Sustainable Growth in Rice Productivity: A Conceptual Framework Towards National Goal of Self-Sufficiency in Nigeria. Authors: Mohammed BabaAbdullahi *a , Shri-DewiApplanaidu b , Bakti Hassan-Basri c *ab, Corresponding author, a,b,c Department of Economics and Agribusiness, School of Economics, Finance and Banking, Universiti Utara Malaysia Abstract: Numerous challenges deter the decadesof effortsand huge investment by government to revitalize the rice sector and increase the low self-sufficiency level and continues stagnation in productivity growth. This study embarks on an extensive review of empirical literature to examine factors limiting rice productivity in Nigeria.The findings indicates numerous factors that influences productivity and consequently could be responsible for the persistent failure to improve rice productivity in Nigeria.Themajor factors include: policies, technologies and climate change. Consequently, the study conceptualises the role of each factor in determining rice productivity in Nigeria and presents a framework that could be employed to maximise the National goal of improving rice productivity.Among the factors, weak adaption technologies, lack of appropriate government institutions and policy inconsistencies indirectlyaffect productivity.These factorsdiscourage major or capital investment to boost rice productivity. The direct factors includes; lack of improved and climate resilient production inputs such as: seed varieties, irrigation technologies, and machineries. Others includes unpredictable weather, droughts and inconsistent rainfall pattern. All these factors poses a strong negative implication on rice productivity. Furthermore, subject to many of these constraints and the wide variations across AEZsin Nigeria,the relentless efforts to improve national productivity have continued to experience setback.The review further indicated that literature pertaining studiesacross AEZs in Nigeria arescanty. Hence, indicating a gap in knowledge concerning the level of vulnerability and impact of these factors across different AEZs in Nigeria. Keywords: Rice productivity; climate change; policies; Conceptual Framework; Adaptation technology, Self Sufficiency. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Submission: 16-03-2020 Date of Acceptance: 01-04-2020 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Background of the Study There are over 60% of the population in Africathat are dependent on agriculture for their means of livelihoods (UNDP, 2018). Among the agricultural crops, many in Africa depends on rice either as food or as cash crop hence, it is a major source of their livelihood. Given the high dependency on rice, it is regarded as a priority and strategic crop for eradicating food insecurity, poverty and hunger across the world and especially in Africa (FAO, 2016). While generally the global demand for rice is rising, meeting the demand for rice is critical for food deficit regions such as Nigeria. In meeting its rice demand, Nigeria basically depends on three options; increasing import, expanding cultivated area, and to improve productivity (van Oort et al., 2017). Thus productivity increase in Nigeria has been insignificant and unable the meet up the average productivity rate in the world or even some countries within the Africa‟s region (FAO, 2016). Increase in total output has always resulted from expanding production area with only a small contribution from improved productivity. In view of the stagnation in the productivity of rice in Nigeria, the inability of domestic rice production to meet the rising consumption need, Nigeria has failed to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production. That is the total output of rice from domestic sources does not meet up the local consumption need in the country. This situation has led the country into becoming heavily dependent on import.Government policies have been identified as contributors to the current issue of low rice productivity in Nigeria (Boansi, 2013). The productivity is still far below world average of about 4.2 tons/ha, while most projections also points to the fact that Nigeria and the rest of Africa will suffer the highest decline in productivity (IRRI, 2018).The imminent threats on rice productivity growth in Nigeria continues to challenge the effort towards economic diversification and posing a threat to food security. Nigeria‟s rice productivity has been widely acknowledged to be low compared to productivity across the world. Thus productivity increase in Nigeria has been insignificant and