Rigorous efforts should be channeled to the current low adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices (CSAPs) in sub-Saharan African countries to improve food production. What determines the adoption level and intensity of CSAPs among smallholder farmers in Kenya? While considering their joint adoption, smallholder farmers' CSAPs adoption determinants were assessed based on a sample size of 300 smallholder farmers in Western Kenya. The CSAPs considered were animal manure, soil water conservation, agroforestry, crop diversification, and crop-livestock integration. A multivariate and ordered probit models were used to assess the determinants of joint adoption of CSAPs in Western Kenya. Both complements and substitutes between CSAPs were established. The multivariate probit analysis revealed that household head's gender, education, age, family size, contact with extension agents, access to weather information, arable land, livestock owned, perceived climate change, infertile soil, and persistent soil erosion influenced CSAPs adoption. The ordered probit model revealed that gender, arable land, livestock owned, soil fertility, and constant soil erosion were crucial determinants of CSAPs adoption. The findings implied that policymakers and relevant stakeholders should consider farmer, institutional, and biophysical factors in upscaling or promoting the adoption of CSAPs.

Climate change is a major drawback to food security in most developing countries. Promoting minimum tillage and climate-smart crops is essential in mitigating and adapting to climate shocks. However, information on the impacts of minimum tillage on crop productivity under farmers' conditions is limited in Western Kenya. We assessed the effects of minimum tillage adoption on sorghum productivity among smallholder sorghum farmers in Western Kenya. We used household survey data collected from 300 smallholder farmers and performed an endogenous switching regression model to analyze the effects of minimum tillage adoption on sorghum yields. The results revealed that the adoption of minimum tillage increased sorghum yields by 11%, from 1163 to 1146 kg ha−1. The occupation of the household head, acreage, soil fertility perception, and farm credit significantly and positively determined minimum tillage adoption. The remittance, agricultural associations, weather information, and site negatively and significantly determined minimum tillage adoption. Our findings suggest that minimum tillage adoption under drought-tolerant crops such as sorghum could improve community wellbeing through increased crop productivity, notwithstanding the changing climate and associated weather shocks.

The up-surging population in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has led to the conversion of more land for agricultural purposes. Resilient land utilization types that input carbon to the soil are key in enhancing climate change mitigation. However, there are limited data on different land utilization types’ contribution to climate mitigation through carbon input to soils. The study aims to quantify carbon stock across different land utilization types (LUT) practiced in Western Kenya. The following land utilization types were studied: agroforestry M (agroforestry with Markhamia lutea), sole sorghum, agroforestry L (agroforestry with Leucaena leucocephalaI), sole maize, and grazing land replicated thrice. To determine soil bulk density, SOC concentration, and soil carbon stock, soil samples were collected at depths of 0–5, 5–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm from different LUTs. A PROC ANOVA was used to determine the difference in soil bulk density, SOC, and SOC stock between different LUTs and depths. The four variables differed across the LUTs and depths. A high soil bulk density was observed at 0–5 cm under grazing land (1.6 g cm−3) and the lowest under agroforestry M (1.30 g cm−3). Conversely, the soil bulk density was low at 20–30 cm under grazing land. The 0–5 cm depth accounted for a high share of SOC and SOC stock under Agroforestry M, while the 10–20 and 20–30 cm depth accounted for the high share of SOC stock under agroforestry L. The study showed differences in SOC across the different depths and LUTs. The findings highlight that agroforestry L and agroforestry M are promising interventions toward climate mitigation through carbon induction to soils.