Voices from the Ward

Executive summary

Community evidence for climate governance

Between November and December 2025, SPiD surveyed 365 households across all eleven wards of Sabon Gari LGA and complemented the survey with a geospatial assessment of land degradation using satellite-derived Trends.Earth data.

The evidence describes a community that is exposed, aware and willing, but under-resourced, under-informed about institutional pathways and largely excluded from formal climate governance.

Research methodology

Quantitative and geospatial assessment

• Cross-sectional quantitative household survey administered face-to-face by trained enumerators using digital data collection and GPS capture.
• Geospatial assessment of land degradation and land-cover change using Trends.Earth and satellite imagery.
• Descriptive analysis of 365 valid interviews, with 361 GPS geopoints. Planned focus groups and key-informant interviews were not implemented and are not represented as completed methods.

Policy recommendations

From evidence to locally led action

• Establish or formalise inclusive ward climate committees linked to traditional leadership.
• Prioritise flood control, drainage, waste management and accessible climate contact points.
• Use radio-first, advisory-rich early warning services and practical capacity building.
• Support community-led adaptation through targeted finance, land restoration and periodic evidence re-measurement.