Agricultural Climate Atlas for Kajiado and Kiambu Counties, Kenya

Crop production in Kenya takes place mostly under rain-fed conditions, with weather fluctuations having a high impact on productivity. Significant changes in the climate are expected between now and the end of the century, while many smallholder farmers are ill-equipped to cope with climate-related risks. These challenges are exacerbated by the fact that agricultural investment decisions and policy aspects for systemic adaptation require long-term planning. Therefore, there is a need to know what kind of climate change to expect. A climate atlas was developed as an interactive and user-oriented tool to provide a first insight into the projected impact of climate change on the agricultural sector in Kajiado and Kiambu Counties in Kenya. The information is provided on a web-based platform and is easy to access by farmers, farmer organizations, agri-food businesses, policymakers, and investors for climate decisions and planning. The information results from downscaling global climate change models to the Kenyan context, combined with the local agricultural sector’s vulnerability information. Via graphs and interactive maps, projected climate impacts are presented. The climate atlas also comprises an expert tool that allows exploration of climate impacts for a tailored situation to evaluate particular crops and/or varieties’ suitability in a specific location. The climate atlas is critical for starting a dialogue on the climate challenges that affect the two counties. Results can be translated into investment portfolios for climate-proofing agribusinesses and accelerating investments due to the potential to mitigate climate-related risks.