Determinants of Adoption of Climate‐Smart Agricultural Practices: The Case of Smallholders in Makueni County, Kenya

Climate change is the major hurdle to the global agricultural sector production and food security systems. Kenya’s agricultural sector being predominantly rain‐fed, smallholder farmers are susceptible to prolonged drought due to climate change. Climate‐smart agricultural (CSA) practices have been identified as a practical solution to combat this problem and a roadmap to sustainable agricultural development. However, adoption levels of CSA practices have been low. This study examined determinants of adoption and intensity of adoption of CSA practices among smallholder farmers in Makueni County, Kenya. Using a multistage cluster sampling technique, the study employed a cross‐sectional survey design to draw data from a sample comprising 384 farming households randomly selected from the target population. Percentages and Heckman’s two‐stage selection model, which accounts for selection bias, were used in the analysis. About 44% of the smallholder farmers adopted CSA practices namely, soil conservation practices, crop diversification, agroforestry, conservation tillage, irrigation practices, and terraces. Heckman’s two‐stage selection model results revealed that land ownership, access to affordable credit, farm assets and machinery, group membership, household income, and farming experience had significant effects on the adoption of CSA practices. Land ownership, extension contacts, number of years of schooling, and group membership significantly influenced the intensity of adoption of CSA practices. This work illustrates a need for policy that promotes the availability and affordability of production assets such as land and farm assets, access to market, affordable credit, and increased extension contacts to enhance the adoption of CSA practices among smallholder farmers and community resilience to the climate change adverse effects. Therefore, assessing the determinants of adoption of CSA practices and intensity is vital in promoting profarmer policy formulation, practices dissemination, and improving smallholders’ livelihoods.