Abstract/Summary

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change due to a high dependence on rain-fed agriculture and a low capacity to adapt to the ongoing changes. The last decade has seen increasing attention to new strategies and policies that encourage and support adaptive practices to enhance resilience, one of which is the development and provision of climate information. This research investigates the access to and use of climate information by smallholder farmers in five countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Tanzania and Zimbabwe) focusing on the associations between household characteristics, the use of climate information, and its effectiveness in increasing resilience to climate-induced shocks and stresses. This thesis ultimately aims to advocate for actions and research-for-development that fosters differentiated and context-appropriate rural adaptation pathways. Data were collected in Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Tanzania and Zimbabwe using the Multidimensional Poverty Assessment Tool (MPAT) to answer several key questions: What is the current access and use of climate information by smallholder farmers in five SSA countries? What are the associations between household characteristics and the likelihood of accessing and using climate information? Is there an association between climate information access and use with increased levels of household resilience and wellbeing? Additionally, this research explores how the research tool, MPAT, reconciles the need for in-depth context-specific data with generalizable data and compares MPAT with other widely used indices and indicators (e.g., HDI, GNI, GHI, GII). The findings indicate significant inequity in access to climate information within and across the countries in the sample. Households that are generally better off, with higher levels of food security, credit, land ownership, water quality, education, and health, have greater access to climate information. The use of climate information, particularly temperature forecasts and climate change projections, is associated with higher household resilience. In addition, the majority of households adopt coping strategies, such as relying on aid organizations, national governments, or selling livestock, rather than adaptive strategies like income diversification and off-farm work as their primary response to shocks. This research confirms the importance of climate information and demonstrates the need to increase the outreach and effectiveness of extension services, making them more farmer-oriented, consultative, inclusive, and collaborative. Climate adaptation strategies should be tailored to meet varying profiles of households, considering their specific needs and characteristics. Strengthening formal sources of support and public safety nets is crucial for enhancing household resilience.