Composite effect of adaptation to climate variability, agrometeorological information, and socioeconomic and institutional factors on agricultural productivity in Kenya

Godfrey Obwina Atsiaya, Eric Obedy Gido, Kenneth Waluse Sibiko, Joseph Jabu Mbudzya

Article ID: 2290
Vol 6, Issue 2, 2023

VIEWS - 747 (Abstract) 130 (PDF)

Abstract


Climate variability has adversely affected agriculture and adaptation strategies are significant in enhancing resilience hence ensuring food security. Agrometeorological services are essential in decision-making and developing farmers’ specific adaptive capacities mainly when variability affect agricultural productivity. This study focuses on the composite effect of adaptation to climate variability, agrometeorological information, socioeconomic and institutional factors on agricultural productivity in Kenya. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to obtain a sample size of 384 sorghum farmers. The study used an endogenous switching regression model to control for the selection problem arising from adaptation to climate variability on agricultural productivity. Results indicate that extension contacts and education level were positively significant among adapters of climate variability. Additionally, the proportion of income allocated for farming was positively significant among non-adapters. On the other hand, access to credit, gender and age of decision makers were negatively significant among adapters of climate variability. Similarly, age was negatively significant among non-adapters of climate variability. Overall, adapters to climate variability had higher sorghum output than non-adapters. This study recommends that policymakers and other key stakeholders could increase the number of extension contacts and promote education to farmers so that they can access agrometeorological information, hence adaptation to climate variability.


Keywords


adaptation strategies; agricultural productivity; Busia County; climate variability; endogenous switching regression

Full Text:

PDF


References


1. Mumo L, Yu J, Fang K. Assessing impacts of seasonal climate variability on maize yield in Kenya. International Journal of Plant Production 2018; 12(4): 297–307. doi: 10.1007/s42106-018-0027-x

2. Siamabele B. The significance of soybean production in the face of changing climates in Africa. Cogent Food and Agriculture 2021; 7(1): 1933745. doi: 10.1080/23311932.2021.1933745

3. Rahaman A, Kumari A, Zeng XA, et al. The increasing hunger concern and current need in the development of sustainable food security in the developing countries. Trends in Food Science and Technology 2021; 113: 423–429. doi: 10.1016/j.tifs.2021.04.048

4. Fikre A, Desmae H, Ahmed S. Tapping the economic potential of chickpea in sub-saharan Africa. Agronomy 2020; 10(11): 1707. doi: 10.3390/agronomy10111707

5. Kinkela PM, Mutiaka BK, Dochain D, et al. Smallholders’ practices of integrated agriculture aquaculture system in peri-urban and rural areas in sub saharan Africa. Tropicultura 2019; 37(4): 1–18. doi: 10.25518/2295-8010.1396

6. World Bank Group. Kenya economic update, April 2018, No. 17: Policy options to advance the big 4. Available online: http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29676 (accessed on 6 September 2023).

7. Kogo BK, Kumar L, Koech R. Climate change and variability in Kenya: A review of impacts on agriculture and food security. Environment, Development and Sustainability 2021; 23(1): 23–43. doi: 10.1007/S10668-020-00589-1

8. Ochieng J, Kirimi L, Mathenge M. Effects of climate variability and change on agricultural production: The case of small scale farmers in Kenya. NJAS-Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences 2016; 77: 71–78. doi: 10.1016/j.njas.2016.03.005

9. Bogale GA, Temesgen T. Environment pollution and climate change impacts and challenges of seasonal variabilities of El Nino and La Nina on crop and livestock production in the central rift valley of ethiopia : A review. Environment Pollution and Climate Change 2021; 5(1): 1–13. doi: 10.4172/2573-458X.1000199

10. Tadesse G, Dereje M. Impact of climate change on smallholder dairy production and coping mechanism in sub-saharan Africa—Review. Agricultural Research & Technology: Open Access Journal 2018; 16(4): 556000. doi: 10.19080/artoaj.2018.16.556000

11. IPCC. Climate change 2014: Impacts Adaptation and Vulnerability: Part B: Regional Aspects. Cambridge University Press; 2014.

12. Government of Kenya. National climate change response strategy. Available online: https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/National-Climate-Change-Response-Strategy_April-2010.pdf (accessed on 4 August 2023).

13. Agarwal A, Srinivasan G, Sawant MV, Rafisura K. Enhancing climate service delivery mechanisms in agriculture sector to cope with climate change. In: Climate Resilience and Environmental Sustainability Approaches. Springer Singapore; 2021. pp. 111–126.

14. Vaughan C, Hansen J, Roudier P, et al. Evaluating agricultural weather and climate services in Africa: Evidence, methods, and a learning agenda. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change 2019; 10(4): e586. doi: 10.1002/wcc.586

15. Tarchiani V, Coulibaly H, Baki G, et al. Access, uptake, use and impacts of agrometeorological services in sahelian rural areas: The case of burkina faso. Agronomy 2021; 11(12): 2431. doi 10.3390/agronomy11122431

16. Bacci M, Baoua YO, Tarchiani V. Agrometeorological forecast for smallholder farmers: A powerful tool for weather-informed crops management in the Sahel. Sustainability 2020; 12(8): 3246. doi: 10.3390/SU12083246

17. Lukano L. Busia County integrated development plan (2013–2017). Available online: https://www.kpda.or.ke/documents/CIDP/Busia.pdf (accessed on 4 August 2023).

18. MoALF&C. The national potato strategy 2021–2025. Available online: https://npck.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Signed-Strategy-2021-2025.pdf (accessed on 4 August 2023).

19. Boruru EO, Ontita E, Ogara WO, Oguge NO. Climate change and the emergence of helter-skelter livelihoods among the pastoralists of samburu east district, Kenya. In: Experiences of Climate Change Adaptation in Africa. Springer; 2011. pp. 97–110.

20. Okumu OF. Small-scale Farmers’ Perceptions and Adaptation Measures to Climate Change in Kitui County, Kenya [Master’s thesis]. University of Nairobi; 2013.

21. Gbetibouo GA. Understanding farmers’ perceptions and adaptations to climate change and variability. In: IFPRI Discussion Paper, International Food Policy Research Institute. International Food Policy Research Institute; 2009. p. 36.

22. Shiferaw BA, Okello J, Reddy RV. Adoption and adaptation of natural resource management innovations in smallholder agriculture: Reflections on key lessons and best practices. Environment, Development and Sustainability 2009; 11: 601–619. doi: 10.1007/s10668-007-9132-1

23. Ayuya OI, Waluse SK, Gido OE. Multinomial logit analysis of small-scale farmers’ choice of organic soil management practices in Bungoma County, Kenya. Current Research Journal of Social Science 2012; 4(4): 314–322.

24. Lemessa SD, Watebaji MD, Yismaw MA. Climate change adaptation strategies in response to food insecurity: The paradox of improved potato varieties adoption in eastern Ethiopia. Cogent Food and Agriculture 2019; 5(1): 1640835. doi: 10.1080/23311932.2019.1640835

25. Reynolds TW, Waddington SR, Anderson CL, et al. Environmental impacts and constraints associated with the production of major food crops in sub-saharan Africa and south Asia. Food Security 2015; 7(4): 795–822. doi: 10.1007/s12571-015-0478-1

26. Gitonga ZM, Visser M, Mulwa C. Can climate information salvage livelihoods in arid and semiarid lands? An evaluation of access, use and impact in Namibia. World Development Perspectives 2020; 20: 100239. doi: 10.1016/j.wdp.2020.100239

27. Penz H. Global warming or climate change? In: The Routledge Handbook of Ecolinguistics, 1st ed. Routledge; 2019. pp. 277–292.

28. Smerdon BD. A synopsis of climate change effects on groundwater recharge. Journal of Hydrology 2017; 555: 125–128. doi: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2017.09.047

29. Nicholson SE. A review of climate dynamics and climate variability in eastern Africa. In: Limnology, Climatology and Paleoclimatology of the East African Lakes, 1st ed. Routledge; 1996. pp. 25–56.

30. Vogel E, Donat MG, Alexander LV, et al. The effects of climate extremes on global agricultural yields. Environmental Research Letters 2019; 14(5): 054010. doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/ab154b

31. Suradhaniwar S, Kar S, Nandan R, et al. Geo-ICDTs: Principles and applications in agriculture. In: Geospatial Technologies in Land Resources Mapping, Monitoring and Management. Springer; 2018. pp. 75–99.

32. Onyango DA, Mogaka HR, Ndirangu SN, Kwena K. Household socio-economic factors influencing choice of agro-advisory dissemination pathways for climate change in semi-arid areas of Kenya. Information Development 2021; 39(1): 60–71. doi: 10.1177/02666669211026005

33. Zhang Y, Wang L, Duan Y. Agricultural information dissemination using ICTs: A review and analysis of information dissemination models in China. Information Processing in Agriculture 2016; 3(1): 17–29. doi: 10.1016/j.inpa.2015.11.002

34. Tarchiani V, Camacho J, Coulibaly H, et al. Agrometeorological services for smallholder farmers in west Africa. Advances in Science and Research 2018; 15: 15–20. doi: 10.5194/asr-15-15-2018

35. Rogers R. Cognitive and physiological processes in fear appeals and attitude change: A revised theory of protection motivation. In: Social Psychophysiology: A Sourcebook. The Guilford Press; 1983. pp. 153–177.

36. Bockarjova M, Steg L. Can protection motivation theory predict pro-environmental behavior? Explaining the adoption of electric vehicles in the Netherlands. Global Environmental Change 2014; 28(1): 276–288. doi: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2014.06.010

37. Yoon JH, Leung LR, Correia J. Comparison of dynamically and statistically downscaled seasonal climate forecasts for the cold season over the United States. Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres 2012; 117(21): 21109. doi: 10.1029/2012JD017650

38. Westcott R, Ronan K, Bambrick H, Taylor M. Expanding protection motivation theory: Investigating an application to animal owners and emergency responders in bushfire emergencies. BMC Psychology 2017; 5(1): 1–14. doi: 10.1186/s40359-017-0182-3

39. Keshavarz M, Karami E. Farmers’ pro-environmental behavior under drought: Application of protection motivation theory. Journal of Arid Environments 2016; 127: 128–136. doi: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2015.11.010

40. Wang Y, Liang J, Yang J, et al. Analysis of the environmental behavior of farmers for non-point source pollution control and management: An integration of the theory of planned behavior and the protection motivation theory. Journal of Environmental Management 2019; 237: 15–23. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.02.070

41. Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. 2019 kenya population and housing census volume III: Distribution of population by age, sex and administrative units. Available online: https://www.knbs.or.ke/download/2019-kenya-population-and-housing-census-volume-iii-distribution-of-population-by-age-sex-and-administrative-units (accessed on 4 August 2023).

42. Ng’endo M, Bhagwat S, Keding GB. Challenges and opportunities for market integration to improve food security among smallholder farming households in Western Kenya. The International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food 2018; 24(2): 229–252. doi: 10.48416/ijsaf.v24i2.106

43. Githinji EK, Irungu LW, Ndegwa PN, et al. Impact of insecticide resistance on P. falciparum vectors’ biting, feeding, and resting behaviour in selected clusters in Teso North and south subcounties in Busia County, Western Kenya. Journal of Parasitology Research 2020; 2020(3): 1–11. doi: 10.1155/2020/9423682

44. Cochran PL. The evolution of corporate social responsibility. Business Horizons 2007; 50(6): 449–454. doi: 10.1016/j.bushor.2007.06.004

45. Connelly LM. Pilot studies. Medsurg Nursing 2008; 17(6): 411–412.

46. Lee LF. Some approaches to the correction of selectivity bias. Review of Economic Studies 1982; 49(3): 355–372. doi: 10.2307/2297361

47. Biru WD, Zeller M, Loos TK. The impact of agricultural technologies on poverty and vulnerability of smallholders in Ethiopia: A panel data analysis. Social Indicators Research 2020; 147(2): 517–544. doi: 10.1007/s11205-019-02166-0

48. Twumasi MA, Jiang Y, Acheampong MO. Capital and credit constraints in the engagement of youth in Ghanaian agriculture. Agricultural Finance Review 2020; 80(1): 22–37. doi: 10.1108/AFR-11-2018-0100

49. Alene AD, Manyong VM. The effects of education on agricultural productivity under traditional and improved technology in northern Nigeria: An endogenous switching regression analysis. Empirical Economics 2007; 32(1): 141–159. doi: 10.1007/s00181-006-0076-3

50. Legesse B, Ayele Y, Bewket W. Smallholder farmers’ perceptions and adaptation to climate variability and climate change in Doba district, west Hararghe, Ethiopia. Asian Journal of Empirical Research 2013; 3(3): 251–65.

51. Ozor N, Nnaji C. The role of extension in agricultural adaptation to climate change in Enugu State, Nigeria. Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development 2011; 3(3): 42–50.

52. Ojo TO, Adetoro AA, Ogundeji AA, Belle JA. Quantifying the determinants of climate change adaptation strategies and farmers’ access to credit in south Africa. Science of the Total Environment 2021; 792: 148499. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148499

53. Ojo TO, Baiyegunhi LJS. Determinants of climate change adaptation strategies and its impact on the net farm income of rice farmers in south-west Nigeria. Land Use Policy 2020; 95: 103946. doi: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.04.007

54. Ochieng J, Kirimi L, Ochieng DO, et al. Managing climate risk through crop diversification in rural Kenya. Climatic Change 2020; 162: 1107–1125.

55. Kakota T, Nyariki D, Mkwambisi D, Kogi-Makau W. Gender vulnerability to climate variability and household food insecurity. Climate and Development 2011; 3(4): 298–309. doi: 10.1080/17565529.2011.627419

56. Ndamani F, Watanabe T. Farmers’ perceptions about adaptation practices to climate change and barriers to adaptation: A micro-level study in Ghana. Water 2015; 7(9): 4593–4604. doi: 10.3390/w7094593

57. Mutunga EJ, Ndungu CK, Muendo P. Factors influencing smallholder farmers’ adaptation to climate variability in Kitui County, Kenya. International Journal of Environmental Sciences & Natural Resources 2018; 8(5): 555746. doi: 10.19080/IJESNR.2018.08.555746

58. Fosu-Mensah BY, Vlek PLG, MacCarthy DS. Farmers’ perception and adaptation to climate change: A case study of Sekyedumase district in Ghana. Environment, Development and Sustainability 2012; 14: 495–505. doi: 10.1007/s10668-012-9339-7




DOI: https://doi.org/10.24294/nrcr.v6i2.2290

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2023 Godfrey Obwina Atsiaya, Eric Obedy Gido, Kenneth Waluse Sibiko, Joseph Jabu Mbudzya

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

This site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.