Farmer Adaptation Strategies To The Impacts Of Climate Variability In Kakamega County, Kenya

Abstract

Climate variability entails short to medium term fluctuations of climatic variables around mean state on climate scales. Impacts of climate variability include amongst others: increase in extreme weather conditions; land degradation, changes in rainfall patterns; diminishing natural resource productivity; and in some areas, irreversible loss of biodiversity. Agricultural sector is sensitive to climatic conditions and hence vulnerable to climate fluctuations. The severity of the aforementioned impacts depends on the extent of adaptation as this has the potential to substantially reduce many of the adverse impacts. This study assessed farmer adaptation strategies to climate variability in Kakamega county, Kenya. Multistage sampling strategy was used to obtain the geographical areas from where four hundred (400) farmers were randomly sampled. Semi structured questionnaires, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), Key Informants interviews (KIIs) and observation check lists were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical data package for social sciences version 17. The study established that farmers were adapting strategies to suit the changing climatic conditions and also taking advantage of presenting opportunities. The highest ranked strategies of adaptation embraced in livestock farming were: management of infections (57.9%); and adjustments in the feeding/fodder/pastures programmes (15.5%). Diversification of herds (4.5%) and value addition ranked as the least adaptive measures embraced (3.2%). Further, farmers had reduced the land under pasture or grazing in order to grow crops with the consequence of reduction in size of their herds. In crop production, the most highly ranked adaptive measures were: management of soil resource and other farm inputs (52.9%); intercropping (15.8%); and diversification (7.6%) which appeared in the third position. Intercropping helped to maximize on the utilization of small pieces of land as several crop were grown on the same piece of land at the same time. Diversification into growing drought tolerant varieties of crops such as sorghum, cassava, millet and cassava that withstood extended dry spells. Management of infections along with water resource ranked as the least adaptive measures embraced. Further, most farmers expressed that they had adopted several cropping cycles in the same growing season to maximize on the presenting favourable conditions such as unexpected increase in the rains. The study observed that a proportion of farmers still stuck to their old farming practices and recommended the need to enhance farmers’ awareness which would enable them make informed adaptation decisions.