Climate Risk Management in Agricultural Extension in Kenya Curriculum

Climate change and year-to-year climate variability have resulted in widespread impacts to ecosystems and people in Kenya, including increases in the intensity of weather extremes such as droughts and floods (Kogo et al., 2021). While these shifting and varying patterns have affected the productivity of many climate-sensitive sectors, Kenya’s agricultural sector which is largely rainfed has been especially impacted, adversely affecting the food security, nutrition, and livelihoods of millions of people (Gebre et al., 2023; Marigi, 2017).

Despite the enormous role that climate information can and has played in supporting resilience of agricultural and food systems and the availability of high-quality climate information in Kenya, including through the Enhancing National Climate Services (ENACTS) initiative, however, the effective use of climate information in decision making processes to support climate adaptation has remained limited (Grossi & Dinku, 2022). This reality persists despite strong policy and enabling environments and despite significant investments in climate information and services through national and sectoral strategies, policies, and programs (Radeny et al., 2020).

Part of the problem stems from a lack of foundational capacity and common understanding of climate basics, including a shared vocabulary and knowledge of basic terminology and dynamics to both articulate and engage in meaningful collaborations and design of solutions. Another part stems from the reality that even when available, climate information may not be easily accessible or transformed to decision-relevant formats for those working in the agricultural sector to act upon, or that there is poor awareness of products that do so. Still, another major issue with the exploitation of climate information for agricultural decision making and adaptation lies with poor conceptual understanding of how climate impacts agriculture and the pragmatic climate-sensitive decisions that farmers and the network of actors that support them must make as a result of these impacts.