Farmers′ use of climate change adaptation strategies and their impacts on food security in Kenya

Summary

This cross-sectional study of 540 farmers across six Kenyan counties examined the adoption of climate change adaptation strategies in rain-fed agriculture and their impacts on household food security. Using multivariate probit, CLAD, and propensity score matching models, the authors found that adoption of multiple adaptation strategies—principally drought-tolerant crop varieties, crop diversification, early-maturing varieties, and income diversification—was associated with substantial improvements in food security status, with gains of 7–18% relative to non-adopters depending on the number of strategies deployed. Younger farmers and those with higher education levels, larger landholdings, better extension contact, and access to training were more likely to adopt these strategies.

Regional applicability

The findings are directly relevant to UK-adjacent concerns about food security resilience in contexts heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture, though direct application to UK farming is limited by Kenya's distinct agro-climatic and socio-economic conditions. The methodological approach and emphasis on multi-strategy adoption as a resilience pathway may inform UK climate adaptation policy for smallholder or vulnerable farming communities, particularly in light of increasing climate variability affecting UK cereal and grassland production.

Key measures

Adaptation strategy adoption rates (%), food security status (%), determinants of strategy choice (multivariate probit), number of strategies adopted (CLAD regression), causal effects of adoption on food security (PSM)

Outcomes reported

The study measured adoption rates of four major climate adaptation strategies (drought-tolerant varieties, crop diversification, early-maturing crops, income diversification) and their effects on household food security status. Food security gains were quantified by percentage increase relative to non-adopters, stratified by the number of strategies adopted.

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