| dc.description.abstract | Agricultural production among smallholder farmers in Tharaka South sub-county is on
decline and this is associated with effects of climate change. Research has shown that
climate-smart agricultural practices (CSAPs) adoption has a unique potential to
mitigate impacts of weather shocks and increase agricultural production. Adoption of
CSAPs by smallholder farmers as a means of curbing the effects of climate change has
been quite low. This low adoption may have been influenced by factors such as farmers’
education level, access to capital, extension visit and training, and climate risk
awareness. Some of these factors have received considerable attention by researchers.
However, not many studies exist in Kenya documenting how religious institutions and
gender influence the adoption of CSAPs. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to
establish the influence of religious institutions and gender on adoption of CSAPs among
smallholder farmers to improve their adoptive capacity for better agricultural outputs
in Tharaka South sub-county, Kenya. The research utilized a descriptive survey design.
The target population was 16,437 smallholder farmers in Tharaka South sub-county.
Using stratified random sampling, 375 smallholder famers were selected in three wards
of study area proportionately. Semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data.
A pilot study was carried out at Mukothima ward in Tharaka North Sub-county. Pilot
study data was utilized to check reliability and validity of the instrument. A Cronbach
alpha coefficient was used to estimate reliability of research instrument items. The
Cronbach alpha coefficients for study variables were: religious contribution (α = 0.99),
gender (α =0.85), membership (α =0.98), and adoption of CSAPs (α =0.76). Statistical
Package for Social Sciences (SPSS V25) was used for data analyses. Inferential
statistics (t-test) and descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, mean and standard
deviation) were employed in data analysis. The findings indicated that religious
institutions had been creating awareness on adoption of CSAPs (M=3.14, SD=1.60).
These was achieved through organizing field days on CSAPs, demonstrations, as well
as facilitating access to resources outside the communities to enhance adoption of
CSAPs. Gender of household head was found to have significantly influenced adoption
of CSAPs (p< 0.05). However, membership to religious institution had no significance
influence on adoption of CSAPs (p>0.05). The study recommended that Religious
institutions should commit much more resources to create awareness on climate change
and encourage their members to adopt CSAPs as intervention measure for increased
agricultural production. The religious institutions should more often deliver sermons
relating to environmental conservation, invite extension agents to train Christians on
CSAPs, and facilitate network with CSAPs promoters. Agricultural stakeholders
including religious institutions should accord both women and men equal opportunities
in participation and engagement in CSAPs. | en_US |
