Walter Jabali Jilani

Climate change adaptation is a crucial strategy for sustaining socioeconomic development in low- income communities residing in vulnerable ecosystems. The interventions aimed at adaptation, tailored to each country, are now consolidated into legally-binding commitments known as nationally-determ ined contributions (NDCs). These NDCs advocate for empowering at-risk communities to acquire specific assets or capitals to maintain or restore production in the face of extreme climate events, ultimately fostering resilience. However, the precise nature and role of these capitals have not been empirically tested, hindering the logical advancement of climate actions. Therefore, this study aimed to establish a framework for testing the community capitals theory and assessing the empirical significance of financial, physical, human, and social capital in the adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies. Data was collected through semi-structured questionnaires administered to 256 randomly selected household heads. An ordinal logist ic regression model was employed to analyze the significance of community capitals in CSA adoption. The results revealed several significant findings. Access to finance, input subsidies, training, labor, marketing, interaction, and empowerment all exhibited significant positive associations with CSA adoption. Notably, the model challenged the conventional view of finance and labor as independent determinants for CSA adoption, instead positioning them within a social context. Consequently, the study suggests that climate action programs should prioritize social ties over investments in financial, physical, or human interventions to enhance CSA adoption and promote resilience.

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