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Can agriculture support climate change adaptation, greenhouse gas mitigation and rural livelihoods? insights from Kenya

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Listed:
  • Elizabeth Bryan

  • Claudia Ringler
  • Barrack Okoba
  • Jawoo Koo
  • Mario Herrero
  • Silvia Silvestri

Abstract

Changes in the agriculture sector are essential to mitigate and adapt to climate change, meet growing food demands, and improve the livelihoods of poor smallholder producers. What agricultural strategies are needed to meet these challenges? To what extent are there synergies among these strategies? This paper examines these issues for smallholder producers in Kenya across several agroecological zones. Several practices emerge as triple wins, supporting climate adaptation, greenhouse gas mitigation, and profitability goals. In particular, integrated soil fertility management and improved livestock feeding are shown to provide multiple benefits across all agroecological zones examined. Triple wins of other agricultural practices are limited to specific agroecological zones. Irrigation and soil and water conservation, for example, are essential for adaptation, mitigation, and profitability in arid areas. The results suggest that agricultural investments targeted toward these triple-win strategies will have the greatest payoff in terms of increased resilience of farm and pastoralist households and global climate change mitigation. To reap the benefits of triple-win strategies will require that policymakers, researchers, and practitioners move away from isolated approaches focused on either adaptation or mitigation or rural income generation toward a more holistic assessment of joint strategies as well as their tradeoffs and synergies. Copyright The Author(s) 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Elizabeth Bryan & Claudia Ringler & Barrack Okoba & Jawoo Koo & Mario Herrero & Silvia Silvestri, 2013. "Can agriculture support climate change adaptation, greenhouse gas mitigation and rural livelihoods? insights from Kenya," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 118(2), pages 151-165, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:118:y:2013:i:2:p:151-165
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-012-0640-0
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    1. Birthe K. Paul & Jeroen C. J. Groot & Celine Birnholz & Beatus Nzogela & An Notenbaert & Kassahun Woyessa & Rolf Sommer & Ravic Nijbroek & Pablo Tittonell, 2020. "Reducing agro-environmental trade-offs through sustainable livestock intensification across smallholder systems in Northern Tanzania," Post-Print hal-05180147, HAL.
    2. Philip Antwi-Agyei & Andrew J. Dougill & Lindsay C. Stringer, 2017. "Assessing Coherence between Sector Policies and Climate Compatible Development: Opportunities for Triple Wins," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-16, November.
    3. Benjamin T. Wood & Lindsay C. Stringer & Andrew J. Dougill & Claire H. Quinn, 2018. "Socially Just Triple-Wins? A Framework for Evaluating the Social Justice Implications of Climate Compatible Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-20, January.
    4. Shikuku, Kelvin M. & Valdivia, Roberto O. & Paul, Birthe K. & Mwongera, Caroline & Winowiecki, Leigh & Läderach, Peter & Herrero, Mario & Silvestri, Silvia, 2017. "Prioritizing climate-smart livestock technologies in rural Tanzania: A minimum data approach," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 204-216.
    5. Quisumbing, Agnes R. & Kumar, Neha, 2014. "Land rights knowledge and conservation in rural Ethiopia: Mind the gender gap," IFPRI discussion papers 1386, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    6. Mabel Enyonam Mensah, 2021. "Resource Management and Climate Change Adaptation: Implications for Farmers’ Livelihood in the Transition Agro Ecological Zone of Ghana," Miscellaneous Publications 355513, University of Ghana, Institute of Statistical Social & Economic Research (ISSER).
    7. Shenggen Fan, 2020. "Reflections of Food Policy Evolution over the Last Three Decades," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 42(3), pages 380-394, September.
    8. Rosegrant, Mark W. & Bryan, Elizabeth & Thomas, Timothy S. & Wiebe, Keith D., 2025. "Climate change: Understanding impacts on agrifood systems and evaluating policy options," IFPRI book chapters, in: Global food policy report 2025: Food policy: Lessons and priorities for a changing world, chapter 4, pages 75-106, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    9. Khanal, Uttam & Wilson, Clevo & Hoang, Vincent & Lee, Boon, 2015. "Autonomous adaptations to climate change and rice productivity: a case study of the Tanahun district, Nepal," MPRA Paper 106916, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Immaculate Maumoh & Emmanuel H. Yindi, 2021. "Understanding the Farmers, Environmental Citizenship Behaviors Towards Climate Change. The Moderating Mediating Role of Environmental Knowledge and Ascribed Responsibility," Papers 2102.12378, arXiv.org.
    11. Rose Nankya & John W. Mulumba & Francesco Caracciolo & Maria Raimondo & Francesca Schiavello & Elisabetta Gotor & Enoch Kikulwe & Devra I. Jarvis, 2017. "Yield Perceptions, Determinants and Adoption Impact of on Farm Varietal Mixtures for Common Bean and Banana in Uganda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-15, July.
    12. Jenő Zsolt Farkas & Irén Rita Kőszegi & Edit Hoyk & Ádám Szalai, 2023. "Challenges and Future Visions of the Hungarian Livestock Sector from a Rural Development Viewpoint," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-20, June.
    13. Mensah, Mabel Enyonam, 2021. "Resource Management and Climate Change Adaptation: Implications for Farmers’ Livelihood in the Transition Agro Ecological Zone of Ghana," Miscellaneous Publications 358815, University of Ghana, Institute of Statistical Social & Economic Research (ISSER).
    14. Etwire, Prince Maxwell, 2020. "The impact of climate change on farming system selection in Ghana," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    15. Anam Khan & Muhammad Ramzan Sheikh & Shakeel Ahmad & Muhammad Imran Mushtaq, 2024. "Climate Change Adaptation, Food Security and Livelihood: A Case Study of Multan Division," Journal of Economic Sciences, Federal Urdu University Islamabad, Department of Economics, vol. 3(1), pages 25-56, June.
    16. Anh, Dao The & Asenso-Okyere, Kwadwo & Asuming-Brempong, Samuel & Bendaoud, Luís Artur & Bryan, Elizabeth & De Pinto, Alessandro & El-Harizi, Khalid & Ferguson, Jenna & Givá, Nicia & Mai, Nguyen Ngo, 2012. "Institutions for agricultural mitigation: Potential and challenges in four countries," CAPRi working papers 107, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

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