Effects of Climate Change on Rural Livelihoods in Busia County, Kenya

International Institute of Academic Research and Development

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Abstract: Climate change is considered the worst threat to sustainable livelihoods in the world. Kenya, like in most African countries, farming which is the major source of livelihood depends almost entirely on rainfall. This makes rural livelihoods especially among smallholder farmers vulnerable to climate change. This study investigates the effects of climate change on livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Busia County. A household survey, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and field observations were used to collect qualitative and quantitative data from 376 respondents selected using multistage and simple random sampling techniques. Study results indicate that respondents understood climate change as altered weather patterns, changes in temperature, rainfall amount and rainfall patterns. Farmers in the study area noted increased temperature, decreased rainfall amount and rainfall variability over the last twenty years, which have led to droughts, floods and erratic rains within and between seasons. Such changes have severely affected food crop production, food security and household expenditure, while livestock keeping, fishing, off farm and non-farm activities are less affected. Thus, households that relied entirely on food crop production are more affected by climate change. Therefore, diversification into less precarious ventures that include off-farm and non-farm activities would help in spreading and reducing climate risks. This study recommends that any development effort towards enhancing rural livelihood should support diversification activities in order to build resilience.