A scoping review of adoption of climate-resilient crops by small-scale producers in low- and middle-income countries

Authors: ACEVEDO, MARICELIS - Cornell University; PIXLEY, KEVIN - International Maize & Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT); ZINYENGERE, NKULUMO - World Bank; MENG, SISI - University Of Notre Dame; TUFAN, HALE - Cornell University; Cichy, Karen; BIZIKOVA, LIVIA - International Institute Of Sustainable Development; ISSACS, KRISTA - Cornell University; GHEZZI-KOPEL, KATE - Cornell University; PORCIELLO, JARON - Cornell University

Submitted to: Nature Plants
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/8/2020
Publication Date: 10/12/2020
Citation: Acevedo, M., Pixley, K., Zinyengere, N., Meng, S., Tufan, H., Cichy, K.A., Bizikova, L., Issacs, K., Ghezzi-Kopel, K., Porciello, J. 2020. A scoping review of adoption of climate-resilient crops by small-scale producers in low- and middle-income countries. Nature Plants. 6:1231–1241. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-020-00783-z.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-020-00783-z

Interpretive Summary: Agriculture and food production are extremely vulnerable to climate change. Extreme weather events such as droughts, heat waves and flooding have far-reaching implications for food security and poverty reduction, especially in rural communities with high populations of small-scale producers who are highly dependent on rainfed agriculture for their livelihoods and food. Climate change is expected to reduce staple crops yields by up to 30% due to lower productivity and crop failure. To cope with climate change and reduce its negative effects, farmers need to make changes to production and farm management practices such as adjusting planting time, supplement irrigation (when possible), intercropping, adopting conservation agriculture, accessing to short- and long-term crop and seed storage infrastructure, as well as changing crops or planting more climate resilient crop varieties. This evidence synthesis examined the conditions that lead to the adoption of climate-resilient varieties and crops over the past 30 years in lower- and middle-income countries. For all countries, but especially those that rely on domestic agriculture production for food security, one of the most critical and proactive measures to cope with food insecurity caused by unpredictable weather patterns is for farmers to adopt climate-resilient (CR) crops that carry tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Overall, we find that adoption of CR technologies is context and location dependent. The most important determinants of adoption of CR crops are the availability and effectiveness of extension services and outreach, education level of heads of households including some awareness of climate change and adaptation measures, and farmers’ access to inputs, especially seeds and fertilizers. Without the combination of these interventions there is little likelihood that small-scale farmers will adopt a new crop or introduce a new crop variety on their farm despite the potential benefits the crop may possess. Based on the evidence collected, this study presents a series of pathways and interventions that can contribute to higher adoption rates of climate-resilient crops and reduce dis-adoption.

Technical Abstract: Climate-resilient (CR) crops and crop varieties help build farmers adapt to climate change, but despite their apparent benefits, adoption rates by smallholder farmers are highly variable. This PRISMA-P scoping review examined the conditions that lead to the adoption of climate-resilient crops over the past 30 years in lower- and middle-income countries. The descriptive analysis performed showed that the most important determinants of adoption of CR crops are the availability and effectiveness of extension services and outreach followed by education levels of heads of households, farmers’ access to inputs, especially seeds and fertilizers, and socio-economic status of farming families. Access to financial instruments such as credit was also relevant for the adoption of climate-resilient crops. About 53% of studies reported that social difference such as sex, age, marital status, ethnicity, affect adoption of varieties/crops as climate change mitigation strategies. Based on the evidence collected, this study presents a series of pathways and interventions that can contribute to higher adoption rates of climate-resilient crops and reduce dis-adoption.