Propensity to adapt to climate change: insights from pastoralist and agro-pastoralist households of Laikipia County, Kenya

Nganga, Teresiah; Coulibaly, Jeanne Y.; Crane, Todd A.; Gachene, Ckk; Kironchi, G.

doi:10.1007/s10584-020-02696-4

Cited by 17 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Furthermore, in Laikipia, factors of human capital such as education and literacy level, social capital such age, gender, and types and quality of farm and food production, as well as financial capital such as size of livestock ownership and access to financial credit influenced the pastoralists' access, use, and uptake of WCI in Laikipia (Nganga and Coulibaly, 2017). For example, having a higher formal education and literacy levels enabled individuals to obtain employment and income that supported livelihoods and adaptation to climate risks through the use of WCI and other interventions.…”

Section: Key Factors That Influence the Uptake Use And Adoption Of Weather And Climate Informationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the Role of User Needs and Perceptions Related to Sub-Seasonal and Seasonal Forecasts on Farmers' Decisions in Kenya: A Systematic Review

et al. 2021

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One major challenge facing farmers and other end users of weather and climate information (WCI) in Kenya is the linkage between their perceptions, needs, and engagements with producers of the information. This is highlighted by increased interest in understanding the constraints on appropriate use of weather information by farmers in decision-making. The choice between sub-seasonal and seasonal forecasts can enable better decisions by farmers if the forecast information is reliable and integrated through a coproduction process. This study analyzes user needs and perceptions of crop farmers, pastoralists, and agro-pastoralists in relation to sub-seasonal and seasonal forecasts for five counties in Kenya. A total of 258 peer-reviewed articles and gray literature were systematically analyzed using Search, Appraisal, Synthesis and Analysis (SALSA) to understand how the needs and perceptions of users of WCI shaped access and use in decision-making. The study also evaluated factors influencing use and uptake of sub-seasonal and seasonal forecasts as well as the barriers to use. Results show that farmers' perceptions shaped the choice of WCI that is used and also highlight how sub-seasonal and seasonal forecasts were used for diverse applications. Gender, availability of resources, access, and mode of communication were key factors influencing the use of seasonal forecasts. For example, access to seasonal forecasts of farmers in drier counties enabled them to manage floods and reduce risk. One lesson learned was that farmers combined WCI with other coping practices such as agronomic practices and water efficiency management. Despite a number of challenges by forecast users such as insufficient resources and lack of access to information, there is potential to improve forecasts according to user needs through a coproduction process. This study recommends stakeholder engagements with producers in the development and evaluation of forecast products and communication pathways to improve uptake and use of forecasts in decision-making.

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Section: Key Factors That Influence the Uptake Use And Adoption Of Weather And Climate Informationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the Role of User Needs and Perceptions Related to Sub-Seasonal and Seasonal Forecasts on Farmers' Decisions in Kenya: A Systematic Review

et al. 2021

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“…Climate change is affecting the way of life of pastoralists around the world, and it is likely that in response to both climate change and pressures from modernization, many pastoral communities will tend to become more sedentary, changing their ways of living developed over centuries [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. There are bound to be issues of mental wellbeing and economic stress that affect such communities as they transition into a more settled way of life [ 22 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rising Temperature and the Spatiotemporal Patterns of Foot and Mouth Disease of Livestock in Mongolia

Mun

Garroutte

Obasanjo

2023

IJERPH

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Background: Climate change is projected to have cascading effects on the environment and thereby trigger effects on animal health, human health and wellbeing. Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a highly contagious disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals that has had dramatic socioeconomic impacts on nomadic pastoralist communities who are increasingly vulnerable to environmental degradation and climate change. FMD outbreaks are occurring more frequently in Mongolia and the effects of climatic change, such as more droughts, increasing temperature, and changing snow fall patterns, are also becoming more obvious. Methods: In this study we use spatiotemporal mapping and regression analyses to explore trends and associations between climate variables and FMD outbreaks across Mongolia from 2010 to 2020. Results: We found that the number of days with temperature above 80 °F in a province in a given year was associated with having a FMD outbreak. None of the other climate variables were associated with FMD outbreaks at the provincial level. Conclusion: Given the projected increase in warming temperatures across Mongolia, there is a need to further explore the association between rising temperatures and FMD outbreaks to prevent FMD from having cascading impacts on nomadic herder communities. Mitigating approaches for herders to use to reduce the impact of rising number of hot days on FMD spread needs to be devised and governments in countries with nomadic herding communities should enact climate adaptation policies for them.

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“…Indeed, in some cases these strategies could exacerbate economic precariousness. These results suggest that these approaches, which are widely used by smallholder farmers in Kenya [ 58 – 64 ], may not be effective in buffering farmers from mental health stressors and poor mental and emotional wellbeing and may actually be maladaptive.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathways from climate change to emotional wellbeing: A qualitative study of Kenyan smallholder farmers living with HIV

Beyeler¹,

Nicastro²,

Jawuoro³

et al. 2023

PLOS Glob Public Health

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Climate change is associated with adverse mental and emotional health outcomes. Social and economic factors are well-known drivers of mental health, yet comparatively few studies examine the social and economic pathways through which climate change affects mental health. There is additionally a lack of research on climate change and mental health in sub-Saharan Africa. This qualitative study aimed to identify potential social and economic pathways through which climate change impacts mental and emotional wellbeing, focusing on a vulnerable population of Kenyan smallholder farmers living with HIV. We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with forty participants to explore their experience of climate change. We used a thematic analytical approach. We find that among our study population of Kenyan smallholder farmers living with HIV, climate change is significantly affecting mental and emotional wellbeing. Respondents universally report some level of climate impact on emotional health including high degrees of stress; fear and concern about the future; and sadness, worry, and anxiety from losing one’s home, farm, occupation, or ability to support their family. Climate-related economic insecurity is a main driver of emotional distress. Widespread economic insecurity disrupts systems of communal and family support, which is an additional driver of worsening mental and emotional health. Our study finds that individual adaptive strategies used by farmers in the face of economic and social volatility can deepen economic insecurity and are likely insufficient to protect mental health. Finally, we find that agricultural policies can worsen economic insecurity and other mental health risk factors. Our proposed conceptual model of economic and social pathways relevant for mental health can inform future studies of vulnerable populations and inform health system and policy responses to protect health in a changing climate.

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Propensity to adapt to climate change: insights from pastoralist and agro-pastoralist households of Laikipia County, Kenya

Cited by 17 publications

References 38 publications

Understanding the Role of User Needs and Perceptions Related to Sub-Seasonal and Seasonal Forecasts on Farmers' Decisions in Kenya: A Systematic Review

Understanding the Role of User Needs and Perceptions Related to Sub-Seasonal and Seasonal Forecasts on Farmers' Decisions in Kenya: A Systematic Review

Rising Temperature and the Spatiotemporal Patterns of Foot and Mouth Disease of Livestock in Mongolia

Pathways from climate change to emotional wellbeing: A qualitative study of Kenyan smallholder farmers living with HIV

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