243
services (road networks, storage facilities, microfinance, and insurance) that might
help them confront climate risks—either because they don’t know about these
options or because they can’t afford them.
Overall, our results reveal the need to strengthen efforts to address climate
change in Nyandarua County. It is noteworthy, that the focus is towards adaptation,
and there is less attention to the mitigation potential of each adaptation option. CSA
approaches have a weak presence, largely due to low institutional capacity and a
weak policy environment. The institutions lack adequate guiding principles on climate change suited for the local context. Coordination among institutions also was
noted as a challenge. Other institutional challenges included insufficient finances to
enable wider project coverage, poor targeting of beneficiaries, poor monitoring and
evaluation of the initiatives, and failure to properly engage stakeholders. The climate adaptation interventions that are undertaken have suffered from poor policies
and weak implementation. Most significantly, for the purposes of this paper, the
institutions focus primarily on the input acquisition and on-farm production stages,
therefore missing the advantages of a value-chain approach.
20.4 Implications for Development
Our study indicates some strategies for addressing the policy and institutional challenges in Nyandarua County. First, the research project itself may have helped nudge the
adaptation process forward. Recent research has recognized that stakeholder platforms
can engage diverse actors and foster learning, coordination and fundraising (Wilson
2013; Wenger-Trayner et al. 2014; Ampaire et al. 2017). Further, such platforms can
identify adaptation priorities and integrate them into development plans, directly influencing climate policy at the subnational level (Fleming et al. 2014). Our research supports these findings. In Nyandarua County the climate-risk profiling process brought
stakeholders together, helped to identify the most vulnerable sections of the community
in relation to each agricultural value chain and each hazard, and documented some of the
ongoing projects aimed at mitigation. The CRPs can also be shared with stakeholders to
help them better understand the climate-risk along different agricultural value chains as
well as the best adaptation options. Engagement in the climate-risk profiling process
helps experts evaluate CSA practices and determine which are most effective in helping
the full length of the value chain adapt to the local context.
Policy can guide climate adaptation at many stages along the value chain. In
Nyandarua, however, implementers at the local level appear to be not well informed
of policy opportunities and barriers. Another key constraint there is the lack of local
climate-change policies, as well as the lack of money and tools to implement
national policies at local level. Agricultural development stakeholders and county
government authorities plan to use information collected in the CRPs as part of the
County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs). For this to happen, stakeholders at
every level must better understand the process of risk profiling and how it can help
20 Climate-Smart Agricultural Value Chains: Risks and Perspectives
services (road networks, storage facilities, microfinance, and insurance) that might
help them confront climate risks—either because they don’t know about these
options or because they can’t afford them.
Overall, our results reveal the need to strengthen efforts to address climate
change in Nyandarua County. It is noteworthy, that the focus is towards adaptation,
and there is less attention to the mitigation potential of each adaptation option. CSA
approaches have a weak presence, largely due to low institutional capacity and a
weak policy environment. The institutions lack adequate guiding principles on climate change suited for the local context. Coordination among institutions also was
noted as a challenge. Other institutional challenges included insufficient finances to
enable wider project coverage, poor targeting of beneficiaries, poor monitoring and
evaluation of the initiatives, and failure to properly engage stakeholders. The climate adaptation interventions that are undertaken have suffered from poor policies
and weak implementation. Most significantly, for the purposes of this paper, the
institutions focus primarily on the input acquisition and on-farm production stages,
therefore missing the advantages of a value-chain approach.
20.4 Implications for Development
Our study indicates some strategies for addressing the policy and institutional challenges in Nyandarua County. First, the research project itself may have helped nudge the
adaptation process forward. Recent research has recognized that stakeholder platforms
can engage diverse actors and foster learning, coordination and fundraising (Wilson
2013; Wenger-Trayner et al. 2014; Ampaire et al. 2017). Further, such platforms can
identify adaptation priorities and integrate them into development plans, directly influencing climate policy at the subnational level (Fleming et al. 2014). Our research supports these findings. In Nyandarua County the climate-risk profiling process brought
stakeholders together, helped to identify the most vulnerable sections of the community
in relation to each agricultural value chain and each hazard, and documented some of the
ongoing projects aimed at mitigation. The CRPs can also be shared with stakeholders to
help them better understand the climate-risk along different agricultural value chains as
well as the best adaptation options. Engagement in the climate-risk profiling process
helps experts evaluate CSA practices and determine which are most effective in helping
the full length of the value chain adapt to the local context.
Policy can guide climate adaptation at many stages along the value chain. In
Nyandarua, however, implementers at the local level appear to be not well informed
of policy opportunities and barriers. Another key constraint there is the lack of local
climate-change policies, as well as the lack of money and tools to implement
national policies at local level. Agricultural development stakeholders and county
government authorities plan to use information collected in the CRPs as part of the
County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs). For this to happen, stakeholders at
every level must better understand the process of risk profiling and how it can help
20 Climate-Smart Agricultural Value Chains: Risks and Perspectives