Assessment of Impact of Climate Change Adaptation Interventions on Household Income: Case of Adoption of Improved Pigeon Peas Under Fanya Juu Terraces in Southeastern Kenya

Abstract

Climate change presents a formidable challenge to agricultural production in developing countries that largely depend on natural resources and agriculture for livelihood. For a long time, the integration of improved pigeon pea varieties in fanya juu terraced plots has been promoted in semi-arid areas of Kenya to improve smallholder pigeon pea production’s resilience to climate change. However, farmer’s perception of the technology as an adaptation strategy, the factors influencing its adoption, and the impact of the adoption on smallholder farming households are unknown. This study evaluated the impact of adoption on the pigeon pea gross margins in farming households in Machakos, Makueni, and Kitui counties. The specific objectives were to: (i) assess the factors influencing farmers’ perception of the usefulness of integrating improved pigeon pea varieties in fanya juu terraced plots as an adaptation strategy to climate change, (ii) evaluate the factors influencing the adoption, and (iii) determine the impact of integrating improved pigeon pea varieties in fanya juu terraced plots as an adaptation strategy to climate change on household’s gross margins. Cross-sectional data were collected from 400 households that were selected through multistage and random sampling approaches. The characteristics of respondents were established from the data. A multivariate probit was used to evaluate factors influencing farmers’ perception of the usefulness of the technology and the endogenous switching regression model was used to assess the factors influencing adoption of the technology and the impact of adoption on the gross margins. The study found that farmers perceived that growing improved pigeon pea varieties in fanya juu terraced plots enhances the resilience of pigeon pea production to climate change, increases yields, makes it easy to carry out the technology, and increases crop residue fodder and fuel wood.

The slope of the plot cultivated, the female household head, and access to agriculture extension services significantly influenced farmers’ positive perception of the usefulness of the technology as an adaptation strategy to climate change. About 34% of the households sampled were growing improved pigeon peas in fanya juu terraces. The years of experience in farming, ownership of land and livestock, the slope of cultivated land, positive perception of the usefulness of the technology in adapting to climate change, contact with agricultural extension services providers, and membership in farmers groups of the household head significantly influenced the adoption. The integration of improved pigeon pea varieties in fanya juu terraced plots increased the household gross margins. Accordingly, adopters got on average KES 31,852 per acre per year compared to KES 22,028 in non-adopting households. In a hypothetical case that farmers who adopted, did not adopt, they would have earned 14.6% less income. In another case, if nonadopters, actually adopted, they would have earned 33.8% more than those not adopting. The study concludes that the integration of improved pigeon pea varieties in fanya juu terraced plots as an adaptation strategy to climate change increases gross margins in pigeon pea production. The study recommends that policy interventions, designers, and promoters of agricultural adaptation to climate change should consider appropriate targeting to wide-scale adoption of climate change adaptation technologies to increase returns.