| dc.description.abstract | Mountain environments in Africa are facing increasingly rapid changes in temperature and rainfall patterns, which pose challenges for crop production. The growing literature has revealed that smallholder farmers use multiple adaptation strategies to respond to and reduce climate change impacts. However, more research on adaptation strategies and factors influencing the choice of those strategies still needs to be carried out, especially for mountains in Africa. Therefore, this study aimed to identify determinants of smallholder farmers' adoption of common adaptation strategies in the African mountains. A total of 1,350 farmer households were interviewed in nine mountains in seven countries. The results showed that the farmers primarily use on-farm strategies, including the use of improved varieties of crops, increased application of fertilisers and pesticides, soil and water conservation techniques and changes in planting dates. The farmers' choice of adaptation strategies was influenced by age, English or French proficiency, number of adults and children in the family, farm size, livestock ownership, village elevation, and market distance. These findings highlight the importance of considering the unique socio-ecological characteristics and resources of different mountain regions and the cultures of smallholder farmers in designing interventions to support their adaptation to climate change.
Keywords: adaptation; Africa; climate change; mountain regions; smallholder farmers | |
