Abstract:
Proven and sustainable practices like climate-smart agricultural practices (CSAPs) need to be prioritized and
promoted for uptake especially by the farmers to achieve sustainable development. These are capable of
contributing to the realization of sustainable development goals through averting food and nutritional insecurity,
increasing and sustaining yields that translate into increased incomes and later reduced poverty. This is because
CSAPs enable farmers to adapt and mitigate climate change effects. However, due to inappropriate communication
of CSAPs to the farmers, to date, some farmers still see no escape route from the frightening effects of
climate change and they are currently adopting a rather fatalistic attitude. This study investigated the information
dissemination pathways used by different categories of smallholder potato farmers for and practice of CSAPs. It
found a difference between information sources and practice of CSAPs at a 5% level of significance (χ2 ¼
100.12139, df ¼ 2, p < 0.05, Cramer's V ¼ 1.0), and a difference in the use of the three information dissemination
pathways between men and women at a 5% level of significance (χ2 ¼ 6.05949, df ¼ 2, p < 0.05, Cramer's V ¼
0.17406). The three information dissemination pathways included media, neighbors and friends, and extension
officers. Generally, farmers were aware and practiced the CSAPs investigated in this study except for irrigation
with high awareness yet with low uptake percentage and potato seedlings and minitubers both with low
awareness and practice respectively. This study recommended mainstreaming of CSAPs information.
