Tropentag, September 11 - 13, 2024, Vienna "Explore opportunities... for managing natural resources and a better life for all"

From afterthought to forefront: Transforming agricultural resilience through co-designed socio-technical innovations

¹The Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT, Crops for Nutrition and Health, Kenya
²The Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT, Pan African Bean Research Alliance (PABRA), Kenya
³The Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT, Crops for Nutrition and Health, Ethiopia

Abstract

Technological innovations have contributed significantly to addressing challenges posed by climate change on agricultural productivity yet resilience to droughts and other adverse climatic events remains a persistent challenge in rural communities. Although social innovations are recognised as important to enabling technology use, when implemented, they are often considered as an afterthought or rarely bundled with technological innovations. The study used collected from 783 farmers in three counties of Kenya to assess the effectiveness co-designed socio-technical innovation bundles in enhancing the climate resilience capacities of agricultural households. Inferential statistical test of farmers capacities to smooth consumption and quickly return to normal functioning when they experience climate-related shocks showed significant differences between users and non-users of social-technical innovation bundles. 51% of socio-technical innovation bundles users compared to 33% had moderate to very high capacity (absorptive) to resist and face the immediate negative impacts of the climate-related shocks. Farmers using socio-technical innovation bundles had higher adaptive capacity than non-users, with 15% of users and 9% recovering speedily (within a month) post-shock. Additionally, significant differences in agricultural output were reported, with users demonstrating higher productivity in maize (545 kg/acre vs. 398 kg/acre) and beans (237 kg/acre vs 187 kg/acre) when they experienced prolonged droughts. The effect of the bundles on productivity was higher when co-designed for both crops – maize (556 kg/acre vs 520 kg/acre) and beans (240 kg/acre vs. 231 kg/acre). However, no significant differences were reported regarding the effect of co-designed socio-technical innovation bundles on farming households’ capacity to obtain support from community/local groups in times of climate-related shocks. These findings underscore the importance of co-designing and integrating social innovations into existing technological bundles in agricultural programs. Development practitioners and policymakers should prioritise co-designing of socio-technical solutions with direct community participation to optimise climate resilience and agricultural productivity.

Keywords: Adaptation, climate resilience, co-design, Kenya, resilience capacities, socio-technical innovation

Contact Address: Cosmas Lutomia, The Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT, Crops for Nutrition and Health, P.O. Box 823, 00621 Nairobi, Kenya, e-mail: c.lutomiacgiar.org