Waaswa Andrew, Nkurumwa Agnes Oywaya, Kibe Anthony Mwangi, Kipkemoi Ng'eno Joel
Department of Agricultural Education and Extension, Egerton University, Kenya.
Department of Crops, Horticulture, and Soils, Egerton University, Kenya.
Heliyon. 2021 Aug 25;7(8):e07873. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07873. eCollection 2021 Aug.
Proven and sustainable practices like climate-smart agricultural practices (CSAPs) need to be prioritized and promoted for uptake especially by the farmers to achieve sustainable development. These are capable of contributing to the realization of sustainable development goals through averting food and nutritional insecurity, increasing and sustaining yields that translate into increased incomes and later reduced poverty. This is because CSAPs enable farmers to adapt and mitigate climate change effects. However, due to inappropriate communication of CSAPs to the farmers, to date, some farmers still see no escape route from the frightening effects of climate change and they are currently adopting a rather fatalistic attitude. This study investigated the information dissemination pathways used by different categories of smallholder potato farmers for and practice of CSAPs. It found a difference between information sources and practice of CSAPs at a 5% level of significance (χ2 = 100.12139, df = 2, p < 0.05, Cramer's V = 1.0), and a difference in the use of the three information dissemination pathways between men and women at a 5% level of significance (χ2 = 6.05949, df = 2, p < 0.05, Cramer's V = 0.17406). The three information dissemination pathways included media, neighbors and friends, and extension officers. Generally, farmers were aware and practiced the CSAPs investigated in this study except for irrigation with high awareness yet with low uptake percentage and potato seedlings and minitubers both with low awareness and practice respectively. This study recommended mainstreaming of CSAPs information.
像气候智能型农业实践（CSAPs）这样经过验证且可持续的做法需要被优先考虑并加以推广，特别是要让农民采用，以实现可持续发展。这些做法能够通过避免粮食和营养不安全、增加并维持产量（进而转化为收入增加，最终减少贫困）来促进可持续发展目标的实现。这是因为气候智能型农业实践能使农民适应并减轻气候变化的影响。然而，由于向农民传达气候智能型农业实践的方式不当，迄今为止，一些农民仍然看不到摆脱气候变化可怕影响的出路，他们目前采取了一种相当宿命论的态度。本研究调查了不同类别的小农户马铃薯种植者采用气候智能型农业实践的信息传播途径。研究发现，在5%的显著水平上，气候智能型农业实践的信息来源与实践之间存在差异（χ2 = 100.12139，自由度 = 2，p < 0.05，克莱默V系数 = 1.0），并且在5%的显著水平上，男性和女性在使用三种信息传播途径方面存在差异（χ2 = 6.05949，自由度 = 2，p < 0.05，克莱默V系数 = 0.17406）。这三种信息传播途径包括媒体、邻居和朋友以及推广人员。总体而言，农民知晓并实践了本研究中调查的气候智能型农业实践，除了灌溉，其知晓度高但采用率低，以及马铃薯幼苗和微型种薯，它们的知晓度和实践率都分别较低。本研究建议将气候智能型农业实践的信息纳入主流。
