Determinants of adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices among smallholder maize farmers in North East District, Botswana
Abstract Climate change continues to pose a major threat to agricultural productivity, particularly for smallholder farmers in dryland regions. In response, Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) has emerged as a strategic approach to enhance resilience, productivity, and sustainability. This paper examine...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Springer
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Discover Agriculture |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s44279-025-00293-6 |
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| Summary: | Abstract Climate change continues to pose a major threat to agricultural productivity, particularly for smallholder farmers in dryland regions. In response, Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) has emerged as a strategic approach to enhance resilience, productivity, and sustainability. This paper examines the factors influencing the adoption of four interdependent CSA practices (crop rotation, maize-legume diversification, inorganic fertilizer usage, and the use of improved seeds) among smallholder maize farmers in North East District, Botswana. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire administered to 384 smallholder maize farmers, selected through a multi-stage sampling approach. To account for interdependence in adoption decisions, a multivariate probit (MVP) model was applied. The MVP results indicate that eleven out of the fourteen explanatory variables included in the model significantly influenced the adoption of CSA practices. Findings show that adoption is driven by factors such as education, farming experience, CSA training, farm size, livestock ownership, group membership, extension services, market access, land tenure, and access to climate information. The results further reveal that the factors influencing CSA adoption are not uniform and vary significantly across practices. These findings underscore the need for targeted and integrated policy interventions that consider the diverse drivers of adoption. Enhancing tenure security, promoting farmer education and training, improving access to timely climate information, and strengthening market linkages are essential strategies for scaling CSA adoption in dryland, resource-constrained farming systems. |
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| ISSN: | 2731-9598 |