Climate Adaptive Extension Services and Resilience of Sorghum Farming Households in Semi-Arid Areas of Embu and Tharaka-Nithi Counties, Kenya

Abstract

Unpredictable weather events resulting from climate change have caused widespread destruction of people, livestock, and property. To counteract these negative effects and help farmers mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change, climate-adaptive extension services (CAES) have been designed by institutions. The CAES helps farming households respond appropriately by making timely, informed decisions to mitigate the impacts of climate change and enhance resilience. The objective of the study was to determine the level of resilience among sorghum-farming households and the CAEs that enhance resilience in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) of Embu and Tharaka-Nithi Counties, Kenya. Primary data were collected from a sample of 426 sorghum-farming households using questionnaires. An ordered probit regression model was estimated in Stata to analyse the data. The results indicated low household resilience to climate change. Moreover, the results revealed that capacity building, information on climate-smart technologies, timely weather information, training, weather advisories, and diversified strategies were effective CAES that enhanced resilience. This information is crucial for policymakers to design ways to enhance the use of effective CAES and increase households’ resilience.