Effect of perception on adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices in Irish potato farming: A case of Ainabkoi, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Perception of climate change has been one of the important factors that enables or hinders the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices (CSAPs) among farmers worldwide. Nevertheless, little in-depth analysis and information exist in Kenya on how ⁠ Irish potato farmers perception influence their adoption to CSAPs. It is crucial to understand how farmers perceive the various practices to create successful approaches for ⁠ encouraging the implementation of CSAPs among farmers. The focus of this article is to investigate perception aspects that influence the adoption of CSAPs among Irish potato farmers in ⁠ Ainabkoi, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. In a population of 1500 Irish potato farmers, a random sample of 196 farmers were interviewed. Descriptive statistics was used to ⁠ analyze farmers' benefits, ⁠ sustainability, and effectiveness perception aspects. SPSS version 28, and Stata version ⁠ 17 software, were employed for econometric analysis. The investigation involved employing a principal ⁠ component analysis (PCA) model. The results of PCA analysis show that the benefits aspect rotated factor ⁠ loadings explained 96.09% of the total variance, sustainability explained 93.61%, and effectiveness accounted for 94.43%. The study recommends that policymakers and extension services focus on increasing farmers' awareness concerning ⁠ the benefits of embracing climate-smart practices in boosting productivity and food security. \