Acta Scientiarum Polonorum
Silvarum Colendarum Ratio et Industria Lignaria

Rural communities, especially those reliant on agriculture and forest resources, encounter significant threats from climate change. The study explores the impact of eco-friendly agroforestry practices on climate change vulnerability among rural dwellers in Osho Forest Reserve. Using a multistage sampling technique, 100 respondents were selected, and data collected through questionnaires and interviews were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings revealed that about 58.0% of respondents had a family size of less than or equal to 5 persons, and 38% were between the age range of 31 to 40 years. Also, result showed that about 50.0% of respondents own land through inheritance while 38.0% of respondents have an annual income above ₦600,000 ($413.35). In addition, findings revealed that most respondents were aware of eco-friendly agroforestry practices such as alley cropping, windbreak, live fence and hedge rows. Furthermore, the study demonstrated the effectiveness of eco-friendly agroforestry practices in mitigating climate change vulnerability. Soil conservation recorded the highest mean score (m = 2.18), ranking first, followed by carbon sequestration (m = 1.98) in second place, and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (m = 1.83) in third. Chi-square analysis indicated that most respondents’ socioeconomic characteristics; sex (p = 0.250), age (p = 0.877), and marital status (p = 0.555) were not significantly associated with the effectiveness of eco-friendly agroforestry practices. However, annual income (p = 0.020) exhibited a statistically significant relationship at p < 0.05. Further analysis using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation revealed a statistically significant but weak positive relationship between socioeconomic characteristics and the effectiveness of eco-friendly agroforestry practices in addressing climate change vulnerability (r = 0.277; p = 0.005). This approach highlights the potential of eco-friendly agroforestry to mitigate climate change and sustain rural livelihoods, recommending scaled-up support through climate-resilient practices, capacity building, community engagement, and forest restoration initiatives.