Climate change poses significant challenges to agriculture, with serious impacts on smallholder farmers’ food security and livelihoods. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is being promoted to facilitate climate change adaptation and mitigation. While there is evidence that CSA supports smallholders’ adaption to climate change, the rate of CSA adoption remains low, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Previous studies have explained the low adoption based on generic factors such as farm, farmer, institutional and location characteristics, yet little is known about the role of farmers’ cognitive traits. This study investigates the influence of farmer entrepreneurial orientation, a cognitive trait reflecting a farmer’s innovativeness, proactiveness and propensity to take risks. We use data from smallholder potato farmers in Kenya and estimate a set of multivariate probit models to analyse the adoption decisions. Results show that risk-taking positively influences the adoption of irrigation, changing cultivation calendar, use of certified seed, crop rotation and soil testing. Proactiveness is positively related to the use of irrigation, changing the cultivation calendar and use of certified seed, while it is negatively related to intercropping. Contrary to our hypothesis that innovative farmers are more likely to adopt CSA practices, we find a negative relation between innovativeness and the use of certified seed. After categorizing CSA practices based on the main resources required, we find that risk-taking is positively associated with the adoption of practices that require high intensity of skilled labour and financial resources. Innovativeness is negatively associated with practices that require high intensity of financial resources. Lastly, we find proactiveness to be positively associated with the adoption of finance-intensive practices but negatively associated with unskilled-labour-intensive practices. These findings imply, first, that development practitioners should consider the interrelations among CSA practices and farmer entrepreneurial orientation in designing development interventions. Second, policy-makers need to create an environment conducive to farmer entrepreneurship as an indirect way to support the adoption of appropriate CSA practices.

气候变化给农业带来了重大挑战，严重影响了小农的粮食安全和生计。正在推广气候智能型农业 (CSA)，以促进气候变化适应和减缓。虽然有证据表明 CSA 支持小农适应气候变化，但 CSA 的采用率仍然很低，特别是在撒哈拉以南非洲。先前的研究已经根据农场、农民、制度和位置特征等一般因素解释了采用率低的原因，但对农民认知特征的作用知之甚少。本研究调查了农民创业取向的影响，这是一种反映农民创新性、主动性和冒险倾向的认知特征。我们使用来自肯尼亚小农马铃薯农民的数据并估计一组多变量概率模型来分析采用决策。结果表明，冒险对灌溉的采用、种植日历的改变、认证种子的使用、作物轮作和土壤测试有积极的影响。主动性与灌溉的使用、改变栽培日历和认证种子的使用呈正相关，而与间作呈负相关。与我们的假设相反，创新农民更有可能采用 CSA 实践，我们发现创新与认证种子的使用之间存在负相关。根据所需的主要资源对 CSA 实践进行分类后，我们发现冒险与采用需要高强度熟练劳动力和财政资源的做法呈正相关。创新与需要高强度财政资源的做法呈负相关。最后，我们发现主动性与采用金融密集型实践呈正相关，但与非技术劳动密集型实践呈负相关。这些发现意味着，首先，发展从业者在设计发展干预措施时应该考虑 CSA 实践和农民创业导向之间的相互关系。其次，政策制定者需要创造一个有利于农民创业的环境，作为支持采用适当的 CSA 实践的间接方式。创新与需要高强度财政资源的做法呈负相关。最后，我们发现主动性与采用金融密集型实践呈正相关，但与非技术劳动密集型实践呈负相关。这些发现意味着，首先，发展从业者在设计发展干预措施时应该考虑 CSA 实践和农民创业导向之间的相互关系。其次，政策制定者需要创造一个有利于农民创业的环境，作为支持采用适当的 CSA 实践的间接方式。创新与需要高强度财政资源的做法呈负相关。最后，我们发现主动性与采用金融密集型实践呈正相关，但与非技术劳动密集型实践呈负相关。这些发现意味着，首先，发展从业者在设计发展干预措施时应该考虑 CSA 实践和农民创业导向之间的相互关系。其次，政策制定者需要创造一个有利于农民创业的环境，作为支持采用适当的 CSA 实践的间接方式。我们发现主动性与采用金融密集型做法呈正相关，但与非技术劳动密集型做法呈负相关。这些发现意味着，首先，发展从业者在设计发展干预措施时应该考虑 CSA 实践和农民创业导向之间的相互关系。其次，政策制定者需要创造一个有利于农民创业的环境，作为支持采用适当的 CSA 实践的间接方式。我们发现主动性与采用金融密集型做法呈正相关，但与非技术劳动密集型做法呈负相关。这些发现意味着，首先，发展从业者在设计发展干预措施时应该考虑 CSA 实践和农民创业导向之间的相互关系。其次，政策制定者需要创造一个有利于农民创业的环境，作为支持采用适当的 CSA 实践的间接方式。