Smallholder Farmers’ Perceptions and Responses to Climate Change in Multi-stressor Environments: The Case of Maasai Agro-pastoralists in Kenya’s Rangelands

Abstract

Farmers in Kenya’s rangelands have been responding to simultaneous multiple sources of change in their socioeconomic and environmental conditions for some time. Under such conditions, it is not clear how the increasing effects of climate change are being perceived and reacted to. This paper presents the results of a study that was carried out in the Trans Mara sub-County in the southern rangeland of Kenya to assess the farmers’ perceptions and adaptation to climate change and the constraints that they encountered. An open-ended questionnaire was used to collect data from 206 randomly selected farmers in Kilgoris and Lolgorien administrative Divisions of the sub-County. The results showed that the farmers had reasonable perceptions of climate variability and change and had taken steps to adjust their farming activities. These perceptions were based on their observed changes in rainfall pattern and intensity over the last couple of decades. Diversification of farm enterprises, changing of crop varieties, reducing flock sizes and changing of livestock breeds were the most common adaptation strategies. Lack of financial resources, insufficient labor and limited access to information were the major constraints that impeded adaptation. The results suggest that the farmers are able to discern and to some extent disaggregate the climate stimuli from other stressors. However, the adaptation strategies were closely intertwined with other stressors that go beyond the climate dimension.