Farmers' use of climate change adaptation strategies and their impacts on food security in Kenya

Impact of rising temperatures on scavenging chicken production in Uganda: farmer perceptions, challenges and coping strategies

The scavenging chicken production system is vital to rural households in Uganda for food security and poverty alleviation. However, rising temperatures due to climate change threaten the productivity of indigenous chickens. This study assessed the perceived impacts of high temperatures on chicken productivity, identified coping strategies used by farmers, and examined factors influencing the adoption of these strategies in Soroti district. Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews, and analyzed using descriptive, thematic, and Probit regression methods. The average flock size was 42 chickens, with 79% of households providing minimal shelter mostly at night. Chickens foraged for approximately 13 h daily, supplemented by kitchen waste and cereals. However, rising temperatures (average 24.7 °C, peaking at 30.3 °C) have led to a 46% reduction in scavenging time, reduced egg production (8.7%) and hatchability (5.2%), and increased disease incidence and mortality. Coping strategies included providing drinking water (96.3%), shade (62.5%), feed supplementation (37.5%), and vaccination. However, water access is becoming increasingly seasonal. Probit regression showed that gender, age, flock size, and resource access significantly influenced strategy adoption. Female farmers were 18.7% more likely to provide shade, while older farmers were less likely to adopt such measures. Training in poultry production positively influenced feed supplementation. The study highlights the need for targeted interventions to support farmers' adaptation to climate variability, focusing on resource access like water, high quality feed supplements, training, and enhancing adaptive strategies for scavenging chicken systems. The findings contribute to a better understanding of how climate variability affects scavenging chicken production in Sub-Saharan Africa, offering insights for future climate-resilient agricultural policies.

The Role of Climate Change Adaptation in Enhancing Household Food Security: A Case Study of the Hamassa Watershed Agroecologies, Southern Ethiopia

Background

Climate change adaptation is an incomparable prior measure to tackle unpreventable climate calamities to enhance smallholder farming and food security. This empirical study assesses smallholder farmers' adaptation options to climate change or variability for achieving food security.

Methods

Data were gathered from a survey of 328 respondents, selected randomly and proportionally from three different agro-ecological zones. Additional qualitative insights were collected through focus group discussions and interviews with key informants to reinforce the findings. The multinomial endogenous switching regression, independent t-test and the instrumental variable (2sls) regression were used as method of analysis.

Results

The result indicated that ACAC impacted food security positively and significantly in the study area at a percent rate of 12.4, 16.3,18 and 27.7 when households adopting one, two, three, and four ACAC, respectively, in the HFBM case, and the same meaning was obtained from other food security measuring tools. However, the rate and manner of change differ at different agroecologies, signifying careful discernment when applying ACAC at different spacial areas, especially in agroecology. The change in agroecology declares that midlands have a negative likelihood propensity for climate adaptation compared to highlands, while lowlands have positive and insignificant implications. The mean comparison from the independent t-test showed statistically significant adopters and non-adopters food security measures, which also informed the positive contribution of CACA on households' food security. Interestingly, factors such as distance to water sources, land size, ox ownership, crop income, and access to credit influenced food security in diverse ways depending on regional and contextual specifics.

Conclusions

Thus, ACAC impacts food security differently at different rates in different agroecologies in the area. Integrated and tailored technical, institutional, and policy interventions are needed to tackle the calamities of climate change leap to smallholder farming and food security.

Analysis of co-operative irrigation farming and household food security in Africa: A PRISMA model approach

This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the relationship between co-operative irrigation farming and household food security in Africa. The research aims to identify key studies, authors, and thematic clusters, analyse the geographical distribution of research efforts, and evaluate the impact of co-operative irrigation farming on food security indicators. Utilizing the PRISMA model, data were systematically gathered from peer-reviewed publications indexed in the Dimensions database, focusing on materials published between 2019 and 2023. The study employed both bibliometric and descriptive-quantitative methodologies to analyse the data. The results reveal a significant positive impact of co-operative irrigation farming on improving household food security across various regions in Africa. The findings highlight the need for targeted policy interventions and sustainable agricultural practices that support co-operative irrigation efforts. A growing scholarly attention toward co-operative irrigation farming and household food security in recent years reveals a potentiality in finding a sustainable solution to food insecurity challenge. These insights are essential for shaping future research and informing policies aimed at enhancing food security through co-operative farming models in the African context.

Unveiling the nexus of climate change, adaptation strategies, and food security: Insights from small-scale farmers in zagros mountains in Iran

In today's world, climate change and its unprecedented impact on food and nutrition security have emerged as a significant and formidable global challenge. This study aimed to investigate the effect of adaptation strategies on the food security of small-scale farmers in Khorramabad city, Iran, using a survey-based analysis. To assess the food security level, the Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) was employed. Additionally, Structural Equation Modeling was utilized to examine the relationship between adaptation dimensions and food security. The findings revealed that households without children exhibited a higher level of food security (48%) compared to households with children (6%). Moreover, the results demonstrated a positive and significant correlation between the food security of households, regardless of whether they had children, and the different adaptation components. Despite a satisfactory level of knowledge regarding climate change adaptation in the study area, the actual implementation of such measures remained low. While weed management, agricultural crop insurance, and access to meteorological information were identified as the top three strategies employed by farmers, the results suggested that sustainable-oriented operations and organic-oriented practices could serve as more effective strategies for both climate change resilience and enhancing food security status.

Promoting the elemental profile of sorghum grain: Driving factors affecting nutritional properties under nitrogen fertilizer conditions

Monitoring nitrogen utilization is crucial in agricultural practices, emphasizing the interrelationship between soil health, nutrient management, and human health. The study was conducted to evaluate the impact of N fertilizer on the nutritional characteristics of diverse S. bicolor varieties, namely Alföldi 1, ES Föehn (Lidea Seeds) with a red pericarp, ES Albanus, Albita, and Farmsugro 180 (all white varieties), the study was conducted in sorghum-producing areas where the crop is non-native. Specifically, the study investigated two soil types: loam clay and sandy soil. Furthermore, the respective varieties were grown under N (27% N CAN) fertilizer conditions, involving 60 kg/ha-1 and 120 kg/ha-1 of the treatment rates applied at each experiment site. We measured the specific element concentration in each sample using the Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) technology. Certainly, the results demonstrated that the different S. bicolor varieties had unique nutritional characteristics attributed to several factors such as soil type, variety, and treatment, which showed a significance value of (P < 0.05). The findings demonstrated that the treatments had distinct impacts as stimulators and inhibitors for certain elements. Specifically, the application of 120 kg/ha-1 negatively affected the levels of particular elements, such as Ca mg/kg-1, in loam clay and sandy soil. The statistical analysis of trace microelement variance did not show a significance value (P > 0.05) when considering the year factor, which supported the data analysis's reliability and accuracy. In summary, to enhance the nutritional value of sorghum grain and supply nutrient-rich food choices for individuals, consider factors such as fertilizer response, nutrient uptake by grain, element mineral accumulation, and advisory variety. Additional research could enhance the nutritional properties of sorghum to provide the required dietary stuff, such as grain processing, which can render sorghum a proper addition to a healthy and balanced human diet.

Can farmers' climate change adaptation strategies ensure their food security? Evidence from Ethiopia

Climate change poses a significant threat to the sustainability of agricultural production among smallholder farm households in Ethiopia. To reduce the adverse effects of climate risks, farm households have sought to adopt different adaptation strategies. This study investigates factors influencing farm households' choice of climate adaptation strategies and associated effects on their food security in Ethiopia using data collected from 516 farm households from three regions. A multivariate probit and propensity score matching models were used to analyze data. Major adaptation strategies adopted by the farm households in the study area are planting drought-tolerant crop varieties (60%), changing the planting dates (53%), growing diversified crops (49%), and diversifying the sources of household income (45%). Results suggest that older farm household heads are more likely to use drought-tolerant crop varieties to reduce climate risks. Farm households with larger farmland size and those with more years of experience in farming are more likely to use drought-tolerant crop varieties and crop diversification strategies. Farm households with larger family size are more likely to use crop and income diversification strategies and change the planting dates against the backdrop of a high risk of climatic shocks. Membership in input supply cooperatives, frequency of contact with extension agents, and access to information on expected rainfall and temperature are positively associated with different adaptation practices adopted by farm households. Farm households who have adopted climate adaptation strategies have higher food security status (by 2.3-2.8%) compared to those who have not. Thus, the farm households' climate adaptation practices have positive food security effects in Ethiopia.

Impact of income diversification on rural household food security in Ethiopia

Using primary data collected from 462 farm households, this paper aims to examine the impact of income diversification on rural household food security in Ethiopia. A propensity score matching model was employed to analyze the impact of participation in both agriculture and non-agriculture activities on household food security. The results indicate that age, education level, household size, number of contacts with extension agents, and numbers of livestock in tropical livestock units have a significant effect on household participation in both agriculture and non-agriculture sources of income generation. The propensity score matching result suggested that participation in both agriculture and non-agriculture would increase the rural household food security status by 10.6% to 19.5%, mainly due to a positive effect of additional sources of income generation from non-agriculture activities as witnessed in present and past studies. Therefore, to make considerable improvement on the food security situation, there is need to promote and scale-up on-farm, off-farm and non-farm income-generating activities in rural areas to diversify income sources so as to improve food security status of the rural households in Ethiopia.