Climate Variability Adaptation Strategies Used by Small-Scale Maize Farmers in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya
Abstract
The agricultural industry is threatened by climate variability due to its over-reliance on climatic conditions. Maize production faces similar threats due to its sensitivity to climate variations and changes in weather patterns, specifically rainfall and temperature. Increased temperatures, rainfall variability, and heightened frequency of climate extremes, such as long periods of drought, were found to have a significant impact on Kenya’s maize production. This study therefore sought to identify climate variability adaptation strategies used by small-scale maize farmers in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya, to curb the effects of climate variability on maize yield. The study adopted a descriptive survey design where questionnaires were administered to 394 household heads. The results show some farmers chose different adaptation strategies to lessen the impact of climate variability on maize yield, while others stuck to their original methods of farming. Changing crop varieties and changing planting dates were the highly opted-for adaptation strategies, while dry planting, irrigation farming, planting drought-tolerant crops and soil moisture conservation techniques were the least opted-for adaptation strategies. Socioeconomic factors such as land size, education level, age, gender and marital status had a strong influence on the choice of utilisation of various adaptation strategies. So as to curb the adverse outcomes of climate variability and empower small-scale maize farmers, the study recommended proper education on diverse adaptation methods, access to accurate climate data for proper adjustment to planting dates, sensitization on different crop varieties as well as access to financial resources to promote practices like irrigation farming
Downloads
References
Ademe, D., Ziatchik, B. F., Tesfaye, K., Simane, B., Alemayehu, G., & Adgo, E. (2020). Climate trends and variability at adaptation scale: Patterns and perceptions in an agricultural region of the Ethiopian Highlands. Weather and Climate Extremes, 29(November 2019), 100263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2020.100263
Ahokpossi, Y. (2018). Analysis of the rainfall variability and change in the Republic of Benin (West Africa). Hydrological Sciences Journal, 63(15–16), 2097–2123. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2018.1554286
Akinyi, D. P., Ng’ang’a, S. K., & Girvetz, E. H. (2021). Trade-offs and synergies of climate change adaptation strategies among smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review. Regional Sustainability, 2(2), 130– 143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsus.2021.05.002
Alemayehu, A., & Bewket, W. (2016). Local climate variability and crop production in the central highlands of Ethiopia. Environmental Development, 19, 36–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2016.06.002
Assan, E., Suvedi, M., Schmitt Olabisi, L., & Bansah, K. J. (2020). Climate change perceptions and challenges to adaptation among smallholder farmers in semi-arid Ghana: A gender analysis. Journal of Arid Environments, 182(June 2019), 104247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2020.104247
Barbosa, F. S., Scavarda, A. J., Sellitto, M. A., & Lopes Marques, D. I. (2018). Sustainability in the winemaking industry: An analysis of Southern Brazilian companies based on a literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 192, 80–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.04.253
Daba, M. H. (2018). Assessing Local Community Perceptions on Climate Change and Variability and its Effects on Crop Production in Selected Districts of Western Oromia, Ethiopia. Journal of Climatology & Weather Forecasting, 06(01). https://doi.org/10.4172/2332-2594.1000216
Datta, P., Behera, B., & Rahut, D. B. (2022). Climate change and Indian agriculture: A systematic review of farmers’ perception, adaptation, and transformation. Environmental Challenges, 8(January), 100543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2022.100543
del Pozo, A., Brunel-Saldias, N., Engler, A., Ortega-Farias, S., Acevedo-Opazo, C., Lobos, G. A., Jara-Rojas, R., & Molina-Montenegro, M. A. (2019). Climate change impacts and adaptation strategies of agriculture in Mediterranean-climate regions (MCRs). Sustainability (Switzerland), 11(10), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11102769
Fadina, A. M. R., & Barjolle, D. (2018). Farmers’ adaptation strategies to climate change and their implications in the Zou department of South Benin. Environments - MDPI, 5(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments5010015
Gebrechorkos, S. H., Hülsmann, S., & Bernhofer, C. (2020). Analysis of climate variability and droughts in East Africa using high-resolution climate data products. Global and Planetary Change, 186(January), 103130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2020.103130
Haile, G. G., Tang, Q., Hosseini-Moghari, S. M., Liu, X., Gebremicael, T. G., Leng, G., Kebede, A., Xu, X., & Yun, X. (2020). Projected Impacts of Climate Change on Drought Patterns Over East Africa. Earth’s Future, 8(7), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EF001502
Hosen, N., Nakamura, H., & Hamzah, A. (2020). Adaptation to climate change: Does traditional ecological knowledge hold the key? Sustainability (Switzerland), 12(2), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12020676
Kimani Apollo Kiiru, B. (2016). Climate Change Impact on Agriculture: Challenges on Maize Production in Uasin Gishu and Trans-Nzoia Counties.
Lagat, P., & Nyangena, D. J. (2018). the Effects of Climate Variability on Livestock Production in Kenya. Journal of Agricultural Policy, 1(1), 58–79. https://doi.org/10.47941/jap.105
Marie, M., Yirga, F., Haile, M., & Tquabo, F. (2020). Farmers’ choices and factors affecting adoption of climate change adaptation strategies: evidence from northwestern Ethiopia. Heliyon, 6(4), e03867. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03867
MoALF, (The Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries). (2017). Climate Risk Profile for Uasin Gishu County. Kenya County Climate Risk Profile Series. Kenya County Climate Risk Profile Series., 1–22. https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Uasin Gishu_Climate_Risk_Profile_Final.pdf
Myeni, L., & Moeletsi, M. E. (2020). Factors determining the adoption of strategies used by smallholder farmers to cope with climate variability in the eastern free state, South Africa. Agriculture (Switzerland), 10(9), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10090410
Naing, N. N. (2003). Determination of sample size. Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, 10(2), 84–86.
Ndukwe, M. F. (2018). Assessing the Vulnerability of Maize Production to Climate Change in Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Nakuru and Narok Counties.
Nyberg, Y., Wetterlind, J., Jonsson, M., & Öborn, I. (2021). Factors affecting smallholder adoption of adaptation and coping measures to deal with rainfall variability. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 19(2), 175– 198. https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2021.1895574
Ochieng, J., Kirimi, L., & Mathenge, M. (2016). Effects of climate variability and change on agricultural production: The case of small scale farmers in Kenya. NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, 77, 71–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.njas.2016.03.005
Oduniyi, O. S. (2022). Factors Driving the Adoption and Use Extent of Sustainable Land Management Practices in South Africa. Circular Economy and Sustainability, 2(2), 589–608. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-021-00119-9
Peng, B., Guan, K., Tang, J., Ainsworth, E. A., Asseng, S., Bernacchi, C. J., Cooper, M., Delucia, E. H., Elliott, J. W., Ewert, F., Grant, R. F., Gustafson, D. I., Hammer, G. L., Jin, Z., Jones, J. W., Kimm, H., Lawrence, D. M., Li, Y., Lombardozzi, D. L., … Zhou, W. (2020). Towards a multiscale crop modelling framework for climate change adaptation assessment. Nature Plants, 6(4), 338–348. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-020-0625-3
Phuong, L. T. H., Biesbroek, G. R., Sen, L. T. H., & Wals, A. E. J. (2018). Understanding smallholder farmers’ capacity to respond to climate change in a coastal community in Central Vietnam. Climate and Development, 10(8), 701– 716. https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2017.1411240
Quandt, A. (2021). Coping with drought: Narratives from smallholder farmers in semi-arid Kenya. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 57, 102168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102168
Rankoana, S. A. (2022). Indigenous knowledge and innovative practices to cope with impacts of climate change on small-scale farming in Limpopo Province, South Africa. International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, 14(2), 180–190. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-04-2021-0040
Sadiq, M. A., Kuwornu, J. K. M., Al-Hassan, R. M., & Alhassan, S. I. (2019). Assessing maize farmers’ adaptation strategies to climate change and variability in ghana. Agriculture (Switzerland), 9(5), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture9050090
Serdeczny, O., Adams, S., Baarsch, F., Coumou, D., Robinson, A., Hare, W., Schaeffer, M., Perrette, M., & Reinhardt, J. (2017). Climate change impacts in Sub-Saharan Africa: from physical changes to their social repercussions. Regional Environmental Change, 17(6), 1585–1600. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-015-0910-2
Sidibe, M., Dieppois, B., Eden, J., Mahé, G., Paturel, J. E., Amoussou, E., Anifowose, B., Van De Wiel, M., & Lawler, D. (2020). Near-term impacts of climate variability and change on hydrological systems in West and Central Africa. Climate Dynamics, 54(3–4), 2041–2070. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-019-05102-7
Stemn, E., & Kumi-Boateng, B. (2020). Modelling of land surface temperature changes as determinant of urban heat island and risk of heat-related conditions in the Wassa West Mining Area of Ghana. Modeling Earth Systems and Environment, 6(3), 1727–1740. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-020-00786-x
Suryabhagavan, K. V. (2017). GIS-based climate variability and drought characterization in Ethiopia over three decades. Weather and Climate Extremes, 15(November 2016), 11–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2016.11.005
Talanow, K., Topp, E. N., Loos, J., & Martín-López, B. (2021). Farmers’ perceptions of climate change and adaptation strategies in South Africa’s Western Cape. Journal of Rural Studies, 81(October), 203–219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2020.10.026
Tang, K. H. D. (2019). Climate change in Malaysia: Trends, contributors, impacts, mitigation and adaptations. Science of the Total Environment, 650, 1858–1871. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.316
Thinda, K. T., Ogundeji, A. A., Belle, J. A., & Ojo, T. O. (2020). Understanding the adoption of climate change adaptation strategies among smallholder farmers: Evidence from land reform beneficiaries in South Africa. Land Use Policy, 99(January), 104858. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104858
Thoai, T. Q., Rañola, R. F., Camacho, L. D., & Simelton, E. (2018). Determinants of farmers’ adaptation to climate change in agricultural production in the central region of Vietnam. Land Use Policy, 70(October 2017), 224–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.10.023
Wens, M., Veldkamp, T. I. E., Mwangi, M., Johnson, J. M., Lasage, R., Haer, T., & Aerts, J. C. J. H. (2020). Simulating Small-Scale Agricultural Adaptation Decisions in Response to Drought Risk: An Empirical Agent-Based Model for Semi-Arid Kenya. Frontiers in Water, 2(July), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2020.00015
Zakari, S., Ibro, G., Moussa, B., & Abdoulaye, T. (2022). Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change and Impacts on Household Income and Food Security: Evidence from Sahelian Region of Niger. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052847
Zougmoré, R. B., Partey, S. T., Ouédraogo, M., Torquebiau, E., & Campbell, B. M. (2018). Facing climate variability in sub-saharan africa: Analysis of climate-smart agriculture opportunities to manage climate-related risks. Cahiers Agricultures, 27(3). https://doi.org/10.1051/cagri/2018019
Copyright (c) 2023 Temina Arivitsa Busolo, Michael K. Koech, Evelyn Wemali
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
