Characterising Access to Climate Information and Services by the Vulnerable Groups in Semi-Arid Kenya
Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM)
Download
Abstract: This study characterised the channels through which the vulnerable people in a semi arid area of Kenya access climate information and services from data collected from randomly selected sample in cross sectional survey using structured questionnaire. Over 70% of both women and the elderly representing vulnerable people perceived change in rainfall, drought, floods, human and livestock diseases to have been “severe” to “very severe” over the last five years. Majority of women (88.5%) preferred radio while the elderly (83%) preferred indigenous knowledge to access climate information and services. Women consistently rated radio higher (P<0.05) than the elderly for delivering reliable information, explaining details and use of local language understood to them. However, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated that comprehensive informing on climatic hazards and support services for adaptation to changing climate is from extension service unlike the other channels which delivered information only on climatic hazards. The study concluded that combination of extension agents, radio and local administration would be more effective for disseminating climate information and services to vulnerable people in marginal areas. Capacity building for extension service is needed in interpretation of weather data to enable them effectively disseminate climate information and services to vulnerable people of arid and semiarid environments.