THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH DROUGHT ADAPTIVE STRATEGIES: THE CASE OF LAIKIPIA COUNTY, KENYA

The economy of Kenya is based on agriculture which in turn depends on rainfall performance. Over 80 percent of the Kenyan population relies on rain-fed agriculture as a livelihood source. Unfortunately, changes in its amount, timing and distribution in the last two decades have influenced the reliability of rainfall for agricultural purposes. The consequence has been recurrent food insecurity in most parts of the country and chronic in the arid and semi arid areas due to frequent droughts. To survive the harsh climatic conditions, the affected communities employ various adaptive strategies. The current study examined the drought adaptive strategies employed by subsistence farmers in the semi arid areas of Kenya in relation to mitigating climate change. Data was obtained from Mukogodo and Central Divisions of Laikipia County, Kenya. Time series was used to analyze rainfall trends. Data on effects of droughts and adaptive strategies was obtained through in-depth interviews. The inhabitants were aware of climate change with 90% and 10% of the respondents attributing the changes to human activities and divine forces, respectively. Rainfall showed a declining trend in Mukogodo Division but an increasing trend in Central Division. Nevertheless, the timing of the "long rains" and the length of the growing season in Central Division showed considerable changes. The consequences were food insecurity and livelihood destruction in the area. The adaptive strategies employed aimed at cushioning farmers against immediate problems but with minimal consideration of climate change mitigation. This paper highlights on the opportunities and challenges of mitigating climate change that farmers had through their day-to-day adaptive strategies.