Climate Information Sources, Adaptation Practices and Barriers among Smallholder Crop Farmers in Kakamega East Sub-County, Kenya

Smallholder farmers need climate information and feasible responses within their production and financial constraints. This cross-sectional household-questionnaire study describes information sources, perceived yield trends, reported adaptation practices and barriers among 196 farmer respondents in Kakamega East, Kenya. Descriptive statistics and five exploratory cross-tabulations were recalculated from respondent-level records. Pearson chi-square statistics and Cramér’s V were calculated for each comparison; exact conditional p values were used where expected cell counts were below five. Radio was reported by 110 respondents (56.1%), personal experience by 102 (52.0%) and agricultural extension officers by 64 (32.7%). Yield trends were classified as fluctuating by 113 respondents (57.7%), decreasing by 75 (38.3%) and increasing by eight (4.1%). Reported practices included drought-tolerant varieties (165; 84.2%), adjustment of planting dates (157; 80.1%), crop diversification (137; 69.9%) and irrigation (42; 21.4%). Poverty (167; 85.2%) and high input costs (157; 80.1%) were the most frequently reported barriers. None of the five exploratory comparisons met the 0.05 significance threshold (p = 0.067–0.976; V = 0.034–0.188). Availability-based recruitment, undocumented ward-level selection and self-reported measures limit population inference. The findings support assessing accessible information and affordable, locally suitable practices; they do not establish climatic attribution, adoption determinants or practice effectiveness.