Understanding the Constraints of Climate-smart Agriculture Among Smallholder Farmers in Southwestern Nigeria
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) has gained increasing attention as an approach for improving agricultural productivity and strengthening the resilience of farming systems to climate variability and change. However, the willingness of farmers to embrace CSA does not necessarily translate into implementation. This study examined the factors influencing the willingness of 190 smallholder farmers in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State, southwestern Nigeria, to implement CSA, the principal constraints to implementation, sources of agricultural information, institutional support and farmers' preferred strategies for strengthening implementation among 190 smallholder farmers in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State, southwestern Nigeria. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analysed mainly with frequencies and percentages, while ordered response-scale variables were summarised with appropriate scale-based measures. Cost of implementation was the most frequently identified factor influencing willingness (32.7%), followed by knowledge and information (28.4%) and resources (22.6%). Cost was also the dominant implementation constraint (54.7%), followed by uncertainty about the effectiveness of CSA practices (25.8%) and difficulty learning new techniques (19.5%). Most respondents (94.7%) reported receiving some form of agricultural or institutional support, although financial assistance accounted for only 13.7% of the reported support. Government extension officers were the principal source of agricultural information (55.3%), while government incentives or subsidies were the most preferred strategy for strengthening implementation (50.5%). Demonstration farms and farmer field schools were the most preferred learning approaches (32.6% each). The findings indicate that the central challenge is not simply awareness or willingness but farmers' capacity to convert willingness into practical action. Therefore, strengthening CSA implementation requires coordinated financial, technical, informational, and institutional support rather than awareness creation alone.
Language: English
Domain: Life Sciences
SDGs: Zero hunger, Climate action
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7213613256