Participatory evaluation and application of portfolios of climate smart agriculture practices to enhance adaptation to climate change in mixed smallholder systems of East and Southern Africa

Climate change is a threat to food security in Africa. Maize is the most important staple crop in Kenya, but production per capita has decreased in recent decades. Climate smart agriculture technologies become more important, but it is important to evaluate them with farmers to learn about their needs. Therefore, we conducted participatory evaluations of five miaze varieties both on-farm and on-station. We found that farmers’ perception of varieties are complex, with yield, drought tolerance, and early maturing valued the most. Men value characteristics related to size higher than women (cob size, stalk thickness). On average, men give higher scores than women, and women score more nuanced. On-station, DH02 was liked the best, and Tego the least. On-farm, DH02 was liked the least, while Duma43 was liked the most. Further, onfarm, DH02 was liked less in the wet year than in the dry year. Farmers’ scores did not reflect yield data well, indicating their complex perceptions of varieties. Further, farmers in Makueni could increase their annual income by 51.500 KSh by adopting the improved maize varieties from this study. Maize companies could benefit from an increase in sales, with a potential demand in Makueni of 3.500 metric tons per season.