Does entrepreneurial orientation influence the adoption intensity of climate-smart dairy strategies? Evidence from smallholder farmers in Central Kenya

Introduction The dairy value chain in Kenya is important for income generation and food security, yet smallholder farmers face increasing challenges due to climate change. Climate-smart dairy strategies (CSDS), including improved breeds, feed improvement, health, and manure management, offer promising pathways to enhance productivity and environmental sustainability. While studies have focused on socio-economic factors influencing the adoption of these strategies, the role of entrepreneurial orientation remains underexplored. Entrepreneurial orientation is important in decision-making and enabling agripreneurs to capitalize on growth opportunities. Methods This study addresses this gap by assessing the influence of five dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation, namely risk-taking, innovativeness, proactiveness, autonomy, and competitive aggressiveness, on the adoption intensity of CSDS among 385 smallholder dairy farmers in Central Kenya. The study used a cross-sectional research design and a generalised ordered logit model. Results and Discussion The results reveal that autonomy and risk-taking significantly increase the likelihood of adopting CSDS ( P <0.01) and that various control variables shape them. Autonomy enables farmers to make independent strategic choices, while risk-taking allows them to experiment with CSDS despite uncertainty. Policy interventions should strengthen farmers’ entrepreneurial capacity by promoting training and extension programs that build confidence, decision-making autonomy, and willingness to adopt CSDS. These findings offer clear and actionable recommendations to boost CSDS uptake and support sustainable agriculture in Kenya and other Sub-Saharan African countries.