Climate-smart agriculture in Africa: feasibility testing a knowledge-based assessment tool

About the project

UK-registered Partner: The James Hutton Institute – Dr Graham Begg
Africa-registered Partner: Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation – Jacob Omollo

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) aims to address the challenges of food security and climate change through the application of farming practices that increase productivity but are adapted to changing climatic conditions. Multi-attribute decision models (MADM) can be used to help complex decision-making processes.

In this study, researchers from the James Hutton Institute of the UK and Kenyan Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization in Kenya have worked with stakeholders from research, policy, and practise communities to create an MADM. The resulting DEXi-ClimateSmart MADM places smallholder wellbeing at the centre of the CSA assessment in the belief that this will be key to driving adoption, and enables users to assess the impact of CSA on their financial, social, and nutritional wellbeing.

Working with stakeholders to develop the model has been very effective, allowing DEXi-ClimateSmart to be designed, implemented, and validated almost simultaneously. Working together in this way has also been successful in establishing a lasting partnership between researchers and stakeholders built upon a shared understanding of the problems faced by smallholders and the potential solutions.