Contribution of Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices on Food Availability among Smallholder Farmers in Laikipia County, Kenya

Abstract

Climate change has negatively impacted on bio-diversity, rural livelihoods, national and global economies. Several smallholder farmers in Laikipia County have adopted a number of Climate Smart Agricultural Practices (CSAPs) as mitigation measures and coping strategies, including water harvesting and use, conservation agriculture, agroforestry, pest and disease control, and crop diversification. This study sought to assess the contribution of climate smart agricultural practices on food availability among smallholder farmers in Laikipia County, Kenya. It was guided by the action theory of adaptation and the correlation research design was used. The accessible population were 74,282 households who were practicing small scale farming in Laikipia County during the 2021/2022 cropping season. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to obtain a representative sample of 384. Questionnaire and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) were used to collect primary data. Descriptive and inferential statistics (ordered logistic regression) using Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) program version 28 were used to analyze data. Results showed that food availability significantly improved as a result of climate-smart agriculture [the coefficient for Climate-Smart Agriculture (0.400) was positive and statistically significant at 5% (p-value = 0.000)]. Smallholder farmers who have not implemented CSAPs recommendations should be encouraged to start practicing due to its positive contribution to food availability.

Key Words — Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices, Food Availability, Smallholder Farmers, Climate change.