Smallholder farmers’ perception of climate change and adoption of climate smart agriculture practices in Masaba South Sub-county, Kisii, Kenya
Many countries experience the negative impacts of climate change especially in the decline of agricultural productivity leading to decreased national and household food security. This study assessed smallholder farmers' perception of climate variability and change and their adaptation strategie...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Heliyon |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844021008926 |
| _version_ | 1818573842711314432 |
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| author | Jared O. Nyang'au Jema H. Mohamed Nelson Mango Clifton Makate Alex N. Wangeci |
| author_facet | Jared O. Nyang'au Jema H. Mohamed Nelson Mango Clifton Makate Alex N. Wangeci |
| author_sort | Jared O. Nyang'au |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Many countries experience the negative impacts of climate change especially in the decline of agricultural productivity leading to decreased national and household food security. This study assessed smallholder farmers' perception of climate variability and change and their adaptation strategies in Masaba South Sub-County, Kisii County, Kenya. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to collect data from 196 smallholder farmers. Additionally, focused group discussions and key informant interviews were used. The study revealed that most farmers perceived climate changes. 88.3% of the respondents noted a decrease in rainfall, 79.1% reported poor rainfall distribution, 88.3% perceived a late onset of rainfall while 76.6% perceived an increase in temperature. The farmers' perception mirrored the actual climatic data trends for the area obtained from the meteorological department. The major climate-smart agriculture practices adopted by farmers in the area included; diversification of crops, change of planting time and crop rotation/mixed cropping. The adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices significantly correlated with the household size, monthly income, access to credit and farmers’ perception of climate change. The study recommends the incorporation and prioritization of climate change in the county and government development agenda as a means of enhancing the uptake of climate-smart agricultural practices. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-15T00:18:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-565527c162f542b5884fff36917ea661 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-15T00:18:18Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj.art-565527c162f542b5884fff36917ea6612022-12-21T22:42:24ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402021-04-0174e06789Smallholder farmers’ perception of climate change and adoption of climate smart agriculture practices in Masaba South Sub-county, Kisii, KenyaJared O. Nyang'au0Jema H. Mohamed1Nelson Mango2Clifton Makate3Alex N. Wangeci4Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé 20, 8830, Tjele, Denmark; Africa Center of Excellence for Climate Smart Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation, Haramaya University, P.o Box 138, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia; Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), P.O BOX 49592-00100, Nairobi, Kenya; Corresponding author.Department of Agriculture Economics, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Haramaya University, P.o Box 138, Dire Dawa, EthiopiaInternational Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), P. O Box MP228, Mt. Pleasant, Harare, ZimbabweAfrica Center of Excellence for Climate Smart Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation, Haramaya University, P.o Box 138, Dire Dawa, EthiopiaKenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), P.O BOX 49592-00100, Nairobi, KenyaMany countries experience the negative impacts of climate change especially in the decline of agricultural productivity leading to decreased national and household food security. This study assessed smallholder farmers' perception of climate variability and change and their adaptation strategies in Masaba South Sub-County, Kisii County, Kenya. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to collect data from 196 smallholder farmers. Additionally, focused group discussions and key informant interviews were used. The study revealed that most farmers perceived climate changes. 88.3% of the respondents noted a decrease in rainfall, 79.1% reported poor rainfall distribution, 88.3% perceived a late onset of rainfall while 76.6% perceived an increase in temperature. The farmers' perception mirrored the actual climatic data trends for the area obtained from the meteorological department. The major climate-smart agriculture practices adopted by farmers in the area included; diversification of crops, change of planting time and crop rotation/mixed cropping. The adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices significantly correlated with the household size, monthly income, access to credit and farmers’ perception of climate change. The study recommends the incorporation and prioritization of climate change in the county and government development agenda as a means of enhancing the uptake of climate-smart agricultural practices.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844021008926Climate-smart agricultureClimate variability and changePerceptionAdaptation |
| spellingShingle | Jared O. Nyang'au Jema H. Mohamed Nelson Mango Clifton Makate Alex N. Wangeci Smallholder farmers’ perception of climate change and adoption of climate smart agriculture practices in Masaba South Sub-county, Kisii, Kenya Heliyon Climate-smart agriculture Climate variability and change Perception Adaptation |
| title | Smallholder farmers’ perception of climate change and adoption of climate smart agriculture practices in Masaba South Sub-county, Kisii, Kenya |
| title_full | Smallholder farmers’ perception of climate change and adoption of climate smart agriculture practices in Masaba South Sub-county, Kisii, Kenya |
| title_fullStr | Smallholder farmers’ perception of climate change and adoption of climate smart agriculture practices in Masaba South Sub-county, Kisii, Kenya |
| title_full_unstemmed | Smallholder farmers’ perception of climate change and adoption of climate smart agriculture practices in Masaba South Sub-county, Kisii, Kenya |
| title_short | Smallholder farmers’ perception of climate change and adoption of climate smart agriculture practices in Masaba South Sub-county, Kisii, Kenya |
| title_sort | smallholder farmers perception of climate change and adoption of climate smart agriculture practices in masaba south sub county kisii kenya |
| topic | Climate-smart agriculture Climate variability and change Perception Adaptation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844021008926 |
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