Effect of Socio-Demographic Characteristics on Kenyan Smallholder Dairy Farmers’ Adaptive Strategies to Climate Change Effects

Climate change (CC) impedes smallholder dairy industry in Kenya. Consequently, farmers’ adaptation to CC effects would greatly determine their resilience, profitability, and sustainable contribution to the economy. Socio-demography among other factors, determine smallholder farmers’ adaptive strategies to CC effects. This study sought to understand how smallholder dairy farmers in South Western Kenya adapt to climate changes and determine the relationship between famers’ adaptive strategies and their socio-demographics of sex, age, marital status, highest educational level, household size, and experience in dairying. Concurrent Fixed Mixed Methods were used to collect primary and secondary data. Reports and papers were reviewed for temperature and precipitation data, dairy population, production trends, and farmers’ socio-demographics. A survey questionnaire was administered to 367 smallholder dairy household heads with 10 years’ experience obtained through multi-stage sampling of respondents from 4 sub counties of Migori county. The data collected included the respondents’ socio-demographics, climate changes and adaptability to CC effects. Key informant interviews (KIIs) were conducted with heads of government departments of Livestock Production, Cooperative Development, Meteorology, Environment and Agriculture Sector Development Support Programme (ASDSP) in Migori County. Others included the leadership of Rongo Dairy Farmers’ Cooperative Society, Lichota Livestock Development Farm, and a Research Officer for Livestock Production Systems with Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO). Focus group discussions (FGDs), on the other hand, were conducted with old men and women (aged 60 years and above), and farmer groups from Rongo Dairy Farmers Cooperative Society, Cham Gi Wadu Dairy and Multipurpose Cooperative Society, and East Sakwa Farmers’ Development Group. These were obtained purposively based on dairying experience. Descriptive statistics (percentages) were used to describe climate change effect on smallholder dairying and farmers’ adaptation. Percentages, minimum and maximum values, means, range, and standard deviations were used to describe respondents’ socio-demographics. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine the effect of farmers’ socio-demographics on their adaptive strategies to CC effects. Results indicated that individually, male farmers were more likely to adopt mixed crop and livestock farming (Odds = 3.97; p = 0.02) and experience an increasing trend in income earning from milk sales (Odds = 0.63; p = 0.04). Individually, older farmers were significantly more likely to establish own fodder (Odds = 0.96; p = 0.03), keep non-Friesians and their crosses (Odds = 0.97; p = 0.02), and experience increasing trends in income earned from milk sales (odds = 1.02; p = 0.02). Individually, household size significantly influenced establishment of own fodder (Odds = 0.69; p = 0.00) and jointly with the other 5 socio-demographic factors (Odds = 0.70; p = 0.00). With other socio-demographic factors, male farmers were more likely to rely mainly on household labour (Odds = 0.32; p = 0.05). Thus, gender, age and household size were found to have significant effects on smallholder dairy farmers’ adaptation to climate change effects in the study area.