This paper examines smallholder farmers’ adaptation strategies to climate variability, and their resilience in enhancing their capacity to adopt. The data was collected from 98 heads of households using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The methods of data collection included household surveys, focus group discussions (FGDs), in-depth interviews, and document review. The quantitative data were analysed using the IBM SPSS (Version 23), while the qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that 69.4% of respondents reported a decrease in rainfall, while 89.8% reported an increase and fluctuations in temperature over the past 29 years. Moreover, the findings indicate that farmers adopted different strategies to respond to climate variability; including changing planting schedules, using improved potato varieties, and employing improved irrigation. Those who adopted strategies suited to climate variability experienced an increase in productivity, and hence household income. This emphasises the need to implement targeted interventions that support and scale up these adaptive practices. Hence, policymakers and development agencies should enhance climate resilience to smallholder farmers to promote sustainable agricultural productivity, and safeguard their livelihoods amid ongoing climate variability.
Ngalaga et al. (Fri,) studied this question.