Composite effect of adaptation to climate variability, agrometeorological information, and socioeconomic and institutional factors on agricultural productivity in Kenya

Abstract

Climate variability has adversely affected agriculture and adaptation strategies are significant in enhancing resilience hence ensuring food security. Agrometeorological services are essential in decision-making and developing farmers’ specific adaptive capacities mainly when variability affect agricultural productivity. This study focuses on the composite effect of adaptation to climate variability, agrometeorological information, socioeconomic and institutional factors on agricultural productivity in Kenya. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to obtain a sample size of 384 sorghum farmers. The study used an endogenous switching regression model to control for the selection problem arising from adaptation to climate variability on agricultural productivity. Results indicate that extension contacts and education level were positively significant among adapters of climate variability. Additionally, the proportion of income allocated for farming was positively significant among non-adapters. On the other hand, access to credit, gender and age of decision makers were negatively significant among adapters of climate variability. Similarly, age was negatively significant among non-adapters of climate variability. Overall, adapters to climate variability had higher sorghum output than non-adapters. This study recommends that policymakers and other key stakeholders could increase the number of extension contacts and promote education to farmers so that they can access agrometeorological information, hence adaptation to climate variability.