Influence of smallholder farmers’ entrepreneurial orientation on intention to continue using climate-smart dairy strategies: Mediating role of theory of planned behaviour constructs

Climate change has increasingly impacted dairy production over the past decade. In response, climate-smart dairy strategies have been promoted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance the resilience of smallholder farmers. However, despite growing pressure to adopt these sustainable practices, adoption rates remain low. This study explores the key drivers influencing farmers’ intention to adopt climate-smart dairy strategies, aiming to identify effective entry points for promoting their uptake. We used the theory of planned behaviour and entrepreneurial orientation, filling some gaps in the literature by capturing the interplay between entrepreneurial orientation and socio-psychological factors. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was employed to determine different constructs’ direct and indirect effects on behavioural intention to use climate-smart dairy strategies from 385 respondents drawn from Nyandarua County. According to the results, aggressiveness, risk-taking, autonomy, and innovativeness were statistically significant in explaining perceived behavioural control. Proactiveness and autonomy had a positive influence on attitude. Additionally, perceived behavioural control, subjective norms, and attitudes were positively correlated with perceived usefulness and behavioural intention to use climate-smart dairy strategies. This study suggests that reinforcing capacity-building initiatives through training is essential to enhance farmers’ entrepreneurial behaviours concerning adopting climate-smart dairy strategies. Moreover, it emphasises the significance of socio-psychological factors in decision-making processes, advocating that instilling the appropriate attitudes among farmers will facilitate the uptake of climate-smart dairy strategies. However, this study is based on self-reported data, which can be subject to recall error and social desirability bias, which could negatively impact the quality of the given response. • Dairy farming contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and is highly vulnerable to climate change. • Climate-smart dairy strategies mitigate emissions and enhance dairy sector resilience. • Behavioural intention, social norms, and entrepreneurship influence the adoption of climate-smart dairy strategies. • This study examines socio-psychological and entrepreneurial drivers of Climate-smart dairy strategies adoption. • Findings provide policy insights to enhance the adoption of climate-smart dairy strategies in Kenya