Abstract

Climate variability threatens rain-fed agriculture and rural livelihoods across sub-Saharan Africa. Smallholder farmers employ multiple agronomic, livelihood, and collective adaptation strategies, but their effectiveness depends on household resources and access to institutional support. This study identified adaptation strategies used by smallholder farming households in Mezam Division, Cameroon, assessed their perceived effectiveness, and examined constraints affecting their implementation. A convergent mixed-methods design combined a 2024 survey of 205 farming households in Santa, Bafut, Bali, and Tubah with focus group discussions and 20 key informant interviews. Survey data were analysed using frequencies and percentages, while qualitative evidence was analysed thematically and integrated with the quantitative findings. Crop diversification was the most frequently reported strategy (110 households; 53.7%), followed by changing planting dates (95; 46.3%), improved seeds (78; 38.0%), soil conservation (65; 31.7%), and irrigation or water management (42; 20.5%). Qualitative evidence additionally identified livelihood diversification, remittance-supported farm inputs, non-timber forest products, and community labour-sharing. Farmers perceived these strategies as useful for spreading risk, but their effectiveness was conditional on household resources and institutional support. High input costs, limited access to credit, irregular extension services, inadequate local climate information, weak infrastructure, and sociopolitical insecurity constrained sustained implementation. Adaptation among smallholder farming households in Mezam is therefore best understood as a portfolio of complementary strategies rather than as reliance on a single technology. Sustainable adaptation requires affordable finance and inputs, usable climate information, strengthened extension services, improved water and rural infrastructure, and stronger farmer organisations.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.