In the wake of climate change, climate-smart agriculture has been proposed as an option for mitigation and adaptation to the attendant harsh impacts among smallholder farmers in Africa. The approach has been promoted for nearly two decades in Kenya, Nigeria, and Malawi, but with low adoption among farmers. This study therefore sought to determine the pathways for sustainable scaling of climate-smart agricultural technologies and practices in the three countries. Secondary and primary data were obtained from desk review, field survey, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate probit regression. The multivariate probit regression result showed eight negative correlated coefficients between the climate-smart agriculture technologies and practices adopted, thus implying that the practices are substitutes for each other. It was observed that gender had no significant influence on the adoption of a set of practices (refuse retention, minimum tillage, green manure, and mulching) but influenced significantly the adoption of early maturing varieties. Implicitly, therefore, apart from gender, the adoption of climate-smart agriculture technologies and practices might often be due to other factors.

This study examines the impact of climate variability on undernutrition, specifically on the severity, trends, and seasonality of wasting, a crucial aspect of undernutrition, among children and mothers in rural Malawi. Various statistical methods were utilized to assess and analyze trends, seasonality, and correlations between climatic factors and wasting occurrences from January 2011 to December 2018. Although no significant trend changes were observed in climate variables, a notable increase in wasting cases over time, particularly during wet seasons, indicates a heightened susceptibility to climate-related stressors. While temperature and rainfall exhibit weak correlations with wasting, regression analyses reveal a significant influence of these factors on moderate child wasting and maternal wasting but not on severe child wasting. The findings underscore the persistent challenge of wasting, highlighting vulnerabilities within the population even under relatively stable weather conditions. This emphasizes the urgency for integrated climate-smart nutrition programs, targeted health interventions, and policy support to address malnutrition. Enhancing the resilience of rural farming communities in the face of climate change is imperative to improve nutritional outcomes and overall resilience to its effects. The study’s insights contribute to understanding the complex interplay between climate variability and malnutrition, advocating for multifaceted strategies to combat the adverse effects of climate change on vulnerable populations.