THE EFFECT OF ADAPTATION PRACTICES TO CLIMATE CHANGE ON AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION BY FARMING HOUSEHOLD. A CRITICAL LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Purpose: Climate change can disrupt food availability, reduce access to food, and affect food quality.  Projected increases in temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, changes in extreme weather events, and reductions in water availability may all result in reduced agricultural productivity. Increases in the frequency and severity extreme weather events can also interrupt food delivery, and resulting spikes in food prices after extreme events are expected to be more frequent in the future.  Increasing temperatures can contribute to spoilage and contamination. The general objective of the study was to establish the effect of Adaptation practices to climate change and its impact on agricultural production by farming household.   

Methodology: The paper used a desk study review methodology where relevant empirical literature was reviewed to identify main themes and to extract knowledge gaps.

Findings: The study found out the locals households prefer multiple adaptation strategies to counter the effects of climate variability and change. The current local adaptation strategies include crop, diversification, shifting planting dates, off farm jobs and diversifying from farm to non – farm activities. However majority of the respondents employ crop diversification as the main adaptation strategy. For the locals’ crop diversification does, to an extent, guarantees good harvests although there are years in which farmers report total crop losses

Recommendations: The study recommends that policy efforts should be directed at enforcing  adaptation measures of climate change in order to boost agricultural  production