Determinants of Adoption Intensity of Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Among Sorghum Farming Households in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Embu and Tharaka-Nithi Counties, Kenya

Abstract

Climate variability and change is a major concern globally. Global warming has altered weather patterns turning extreme events of weather changes particularly drought and floods to be new normal experiences. This has contributed to declining productivity of sorghum among other cereal crops, intensified food insecurity, and threatened livelihoods of millions of people especially in developing countries. The effect of rapidly varying and changing climatic conditions in various agroecosystems is exacerbated by poor extension services and poor climate change adaptation (CCA) strategies. To gain full control of the impacts created by climate change, farmers must be well equipped with CCA strategies. The adoption of CCA strategies remains a challenge among farming households. The study used cross sectional survey research design, multi-stage and random sampling techniques to obtain a sample of 426 sorghum farming households in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) of Embu and Tharaka-Nithi Counties. Ordered probit model was used to assess socioeconomic and institutional factors that influence adoption intensity of CCA strategies. The results revealed access to extension services, access to credit, hired labour, access to weather information and agro-advisories had positive statistically significant influence on adoption intensity of CCA strategies while marital status and age had negative correlation. The results revealed that sorghum farming households had medium adoption intensity of CCA strategies. Based on the findings, the policy and decision makers should devise strategies of improving delivery of extension services through capacity building, use of modern technologies and community engagement. National and County governments to enact policies that promote financial institutions to offer affordable credit to farmers. Weather institutions to offer timely and reliable information that would inform farmers and government’s decisions both short as well as long term to adapt and mitigate to climate change. This will help create an efficient use of the CCA strategies in production of sorghum in the ASALs which will reduce the households’ vulnerability and create resilience to the ever changing and unpredictable trend of climate change.