Adoption of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies among smallholder farmers in African countries: a systematic review
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Date
2025
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Discover Sustainability
Abstract
This systematic review examines the adoption of climate change mitigation and
adaptation strategies among smallholder farmers in African countries, recognizing
the substantial challenges posed by climate change, such as rising temperatures
and altered rainfall patterns. Emphasizing the importance of these strategies can
help smallholder farmers achieve several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
including food security and zero hunger. A mixed-methods approach was employed,
integrating both quantitative and qualitative data from a comprehensive literature
search across multiple databases. The review focused on studies published from
2004 to 2024 that explore the impacts of climate change and the strategies utilized
by smallholder farmers. The findings are categorized into four main sections,
each highlighting specific themes. The first section addresses climate change
mitigation and adaptation strategies, including the adoption of agricultural practices,
agroforestry, integrated crop management, diversification, resilience strategies,
and access to information and support systems. The second section delves into
socioeconomic factors influencing these strategies, such as demographic influences
like farm size and income, education and awareness, financial constraints, access
to technology and innovation, and perceptions of risk and coping strategies. The
third section outlines the challenges identified in the reviewed papers, which
include financial constraints, limited access to information and training, inadequate
infrastructure, issues related to land availability and tenure security, and variability in
climate conditions. Finally, the fourth section discusses support for climate change
adaptation and mitigation, highlighting the importance of access to credit and
financial resources, institutional factors, policy recommendations, crop diversification
strategies, and the necessity for infrastructure investment. This comprehensive review
underscores the multifaceted nature of challenges and solutions related to climate
change for smallholder farmers in Africa, emphasizing the need for targeted support
and strategic interventions.
Sustainable Development Goals
1: No Poverty
2: Zero Hunger
13: Climate Action
15: Life on Land
Keywords
Access to crit: Agroforestry: Climate-Smart agriculture (CSA): Indigenous knowledge: Global warming: Sustainable agriculture