Abstract:
Climate change and its negative impacts pose a threat to crop production in
Kenya. However, climate change adaptation strategies have the potential to
address the challenges faced by crop farmers. Despite this, there is limited
literature to inform policy on the best interventions to help farmers deal
with climate issues. This study assessed the determinants of climate change
adaptation strategies and the intensity of their use among 723 crop farmers in
Busia County, Kenya, selected through a multistage sampling technique. Data
were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using principal
component analysis (PCA), multinomial logit regression, and the ordered probit
model. The climate change adaptation strategies were categorized into crop
diversity, cover crops, use of drought-resistant crops, and irrigation. According
to the results, the factors contributing to the uptake of the different adaptation
strategies were age, household size, access to credit, training access, off-
farm income, group membership, frequency of receiving climate change
information, and extension services. The major factors influencing the uptake
of multiple climate change adaptation strategies were access to credit and
off-farm income. The study shows that certain adaptation strategies, such
as using cover crops, do not require credit and offer an important option
in an environment with limited resources. On the other hand, adaptation
measures such as irrigation demand financial resources for farmers to implement
them, highlighting the importance of information and awareness in adopting
adaptation strategies and the supportive role of financial resources, particularly
for adopting multiple strategies. Therefore, this study suggests implementing
policies and interventions that encompass knowledge-based strategies such as
extension services, training, climate change education, group participation, and
financial mechanisms like income generation activities and access to credit.
These integrated strategies will enable farmers to adopt various climate change
adaptation methods for sustainable crop production.
