article · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
This study investigated factors influencing the climate resilience of 778 smallholder farmers in Kenya who are linked to school feeding programmes (SFPs). Using data from Kajiado, Isiolo, and Nakuru counties, a Climate Resilience Capacity Index (CRCI) was developed and analysed. Findings indicate that access to basic services and adaptive capacity positively contribute to resilience, while traditional asset ownership showed a negative association, suggesting its inadequacy against climate shocks. Larger and female-headed households were found to have lower resilience. Conversely, households with savings, access to SFP markets, and those exposed to floods, particularly in Kajiado and Isiolo, demonstrated higher resilience. The research suggests leveraging SFPs to enhance resilience by focusing on specific interventions.
Understanding how school feeding programmes can boost farmers' ability to cope with climate change is vital. This research identifies specific factors that strengthen or weaken resilience, offering practical insights for policymakers and programme implementers. It highlights how targeted support can help vulnerable farming communities adapt to environmental challenges and improve food security.
This research provides actionable insights for organisations involved in agricultural development, food security, and climate adaptation programmes. It suggests specific interventions, such as financial literacy training, promoting climate-smart asset accumulation, and formalising market access for female farmers through school feeding programmes. These findings are applicable for programme design and policy formulation by NGOs, government agencies, and international development partners, representing applied research with clear pathways for implementation.
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School feeding programmes (SFPs) are gaining recognition as a mechanism for transforming food systems and enhancing farmers’ resilience to climate change. However, their relationship with resilience remains limited, and the interaction between SFP participation and socio-economic and institutional dynamics to shape resilience remains unexplored. This study draws upon cross-sectional data collected from 778 smallholder farmers linked to SFPs in Kajiado, Isiolo, and Nakuru counties. The study adopted the Resilience Index Measurement Analysis-II framework to develop the climate resilience capacity index (CRCI), and principal component analysis to construct resilience pillars. The multiple-indicator multiple-cause (MIMIC) model and ordinary least squares regression (OLS) were employed to generate the CRCI and model its determinants, respectively. MIMIC results revealed a positive contribution of the access-to-basic-services (ABS) and adaptive-capacity (AC) pillars to CRCI. The asset ownership pillar played the opposite role, suggesting that traditional asset accumulation may be insufficient against current climate shocks. OLS results indicate that larger and female-headed households are negatively associated with CRCI. Households with savings, access to SFP markets, exposure to floods, and SFP-linked households in Kajiado and Isiolo counties are positively associated with CRCI. We recommend (a) policies and strategies aimed at enhancing resilience of SFP-linked farmers should emphasize on increasing ABS and AC, and shifting focus from accumulating assets that can be lost in shocks towards asset insurance and climate-smart asset accumulation; (b) schools applying SFPs should offer financial literacy or training on savings and on adoption of flood-smart technologies to SFP-linked farmers; and (c) policies should prioritize expanding and formalizing SFP procurement quotas for female farmers supplying their produce to SFPs. By integrating these insights, SFPs can be leveraged as instruments to advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 1 (eradicate poverty), 2 (end hunger), and 13 (climate action), ultimately strengthening resilience.
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DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2026.1837818
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