ABSTRACT

Purpose: Empirical evidence suggests that climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices will promote resilience against climate change. We explored location-specific CSA practices and strategies for adoption in two communities (Zango and Kofa) in the North-Western Nigerian drylands.

Design/methodology/approach: Mixed methods design was employed with thirty smallholders per community selected from a baseline study of 220 smallholders from the two study communities. Smallholders were engaged in a farmer participatory learning and action (PLA) on CSA adoption for resilience. Impacts of PLA were evaluated six months post-implementation and barriers for adoption explored.

Findings: Pre- and post-PLA training indicated a change in confidence to adopt some CSA practices. Both communities showed greater confidence (p < .05) related to solving climate-related problems and the use of fertiliser. Communities differed in relation to other factors: Kofa exhibited improved confidence (71.4%) in solving water challenges while Zango showed greater confidence (76%) in relation to solving environmental problems. We found gender-responsive CSA promote women participation in farming.

Practical implications: A deep understanding of the underlying reasoning behind non-adoption of CSA practices could support future climate resilience policies, and the lead-farmer extension model could reduce extension agent-farmer ratio.

Theoretical implications: Identification of climate-smart agriculture practices and their adoption confirms the benefit of participatory learning for transformation, in this case, empowerment of smallholders, including women, to adapt to climate change in a wider sub-Saharan Africa context.

Originality/value: This study explores PLA application in supporting the uptake of CSA practices for resilience and advancement of lead-farmer extension for reducing extension agent-farmer ratio.

摘要

目的：经验证据表明，气候智能型农业（CSA）的做法将提高抵御气候变化的能力。我们探索了特定地点的CSA做法和策略，以在尼日利亚西北干旱地区的两个社区（Zango和Kofa）采用。

设计/方法/方法：采用混合方法设计，每个社区有30个小农户，这是从两个研究社区的220个小农户的基线研究中选择的。小农参与了关于采用CSA的农民参与式学习和行动（PLA），以增强抵御能力。在实施六个月后评估了PLA的影响，并探讨了采用的障碍。

调查结果： PLA之前和之后的培训表明，采用某些CSA做法的信心有所改变。两个社区都显示出与解决气候相关问题和肥料使用相关的更大信心（p <.05）。社区在其他因素方面存在差异：Kofa在解决水资源挑战方面表现出更高的信心（71.4％），而Zango在解决环境问题方面表现出更大的信心（76％）。我们发现，对性别敏感的CSA可以促进妇女参与农业活动。

实际意义：对不采用CSA做法背后的根本原因的深入理解可能会支持未来的气候适应政策，而主农民扩展模型可能会降低推广代理与农民的比例。

理论意义：确定气候智能型农业实践并加以采用，确认了参与式学习对转型的好处，在这种情况下，增强了包括妇女在内的小农户的权能，使其能够在更广泛的撒哈拉以南非洲背景下适应气候变化。

独创性/价值：本研究探讨了PLA在支持CSA实践中应用的能力，以提高韧性和铅-农民扩展性，从而降低扩展剂与农民的比例。