Adoption of Climate Smart Agricultural Practices by Smallholder Farmers in Western Oromia

Abstract

The study employed multi-stage random sampling technique to select representative sample farm households. Adoption of climate smart agricultural (CSA) practices is a recommended pathway as a means of adaptation to climate change and attaining sustainable productivity. However, the uptake of these practices by smallholder farmers is minimal. Factors determining farmers’ adoption decision of climate smart agricultural practices were examined using household and plot level survey data collected in Gimbi and Diga distrcits. Multivariate Probit (MVP) model is applied to assess adoption decisions by farm households facing a decision of multiple CSA practices with a particular focus on the adoption of minimum tillage, crop residue and intercropping which can be adopted in various combinations. Results show that, though farmers have got the same exposure to CSA practices through on-farm demonstrations, their level of uptake of the CSA practices varies depending mostly on their level of education, resource endowment and access to markets. In general, the study results show that adoption of CSA practices enable farmers to increase productivity and reducing the risk of crop failure, as well as by reducing the adverse impacts of climate change by increase farmers' capacity to the adaptation and mitigation to climate change. In general, results of this study show that adoption of CSA practices are highly household-specific where different targeting and support mechanisms might need to be in place to enable farmers see the long-term benefits of these practices. Thus, the main message from the study is that technical change for farm-level improvement in agricultural production through adoption of feasible technologies or new farming practices requires farmer’s understanding their farming system, changes on their environment, persistent struggle to the unanticipated change, interventions by governments and non-governments organizations are the factors that govern agricultural production, value chains and natural resource management.