Muema Emily, Mburu John, Coulibaly Jeanne, Mutune Jane
Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 29053-00625, Nairobi, Kenya.
World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi, Kenya.
Heliyon. 2018 Nov 7;4(11):e00889. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00889. eCollection 2018 Nov.
Climate change is a major development challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. This region is highly vulnerable to negative impacts of climate change due to low adaptive capacity and overreliance on rain-fed agriculture for food security and livelihood. Climate information services (CIS) have been developed in Kenya to help enhance farmers' adaptation to climatic shocks, but their access and utilisation remain low. The factors that influence farmers' access and use of CIS are not well-known. Using survey data from a sample of 250 households in Makueni County, this study estimated a two-step Heckprobit model to analyse the determinants of access and use of CIS. Results showed that the age of the household head reduced the likelihood of accessing CIS whereas household size, income, farm size, livelihood activity, television ownership and group membership increased it. Age, sex of the household head, and frequent exposure to drought reduced the likelihood of using CIS whereas access to improved seed, household income, radio ownership, and livelihood activity increased it. Efforts promoting access to and utilisation of CIS would benefit by building trust among farmers through provision of accurate information; promoting adoption of improved varieties of crops; and providing incentives for formation and participation in farmers' groups.
气候变化是撒哈拉以南非洲地区面临的一项重大发展挑战。由于适应能力低下且在粮食安全和生计方面过度依赖雨养农业，该地区极易受到气候变化负面影响的冲击。肯尼亚已开发出气候信息服务（CIS），以帮助农民增强对气候冲击的适应能力，但其获取和利用率仍然较低。影响农民获取和使用气候信息服务的因素尚不为人所知。本研究利用来自马库埃尼县250户家庭样本的调查数据，估计了一个两步Heckprobit模型，以分析获取和使用气候信息服务的决定因素。结果表明，户主年龄降低了获取气候信息服务的可能性，而家庭规模、收入、农场规模、生计活动、电视拥有情况和团体成员身份则增加了这种可能性。户主的年龄、性别以及频繁遭受干旱会降低使用气候信息服务的可能性，而获得改良种子、家庭收入、收音机拥有情况和生计活动则会增加这种可能性。通过提供准确信息在农民之间建立信任；促进采用改良作物品种；以及为组建和参与农民团体提供激励措施，来推动气候信息服务的获取和利用，将带来益处。
