AUTHOR=Chelang’a Naomi Chebiwot , Mathenge Mary , Okello Otieno Dickson , Sassi Maria 

TITLE=Does entrepreneurial orientation influence the adoption intensity of climate-smart dairy strategies? Evidence from smallholder farmers in Central Kenya

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1569193

DOI=10.3389/fsufs.2025.1569193

ISSN=2571-581X

ABSTRACT=IntroductionThe dairy value chain in Kenya is important for income generation and food security, yet smallholder farmers face increasing challenges due to climate change. Climate-smart dairy strategies (CSDS), including improved breeds, feed improvement, health, and manure management, offer promising pathways to enhance productivity and environmental sustainability. While studies have focused on socio-economic factors influencing the adoption of these strategies, the role of entrepreneurial orientation remains underexplored. Entrepreneurial orientation is important in decision-making and enabling agripreneurs to capitalize on growth opportunities.MethodsThis study addresses this gap by assessing the influence of five dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation, namely risk-taking, innovativeness, proactiveness, autonomy, and competitive aggressiveness, on the adoption intensity of CSDS among 385 smallholder dairy farmers in Central Kenya. The study used a cross-sectional research design and a generalised ordered logit model.Results and DiscussionThe results reveal that autonomy and risk-taking significantly increase the likelihood of adopting CSDS (P<0.01) and that various control variables shape them. Autonomy enables farmers to make independent strategic choices, while risk-taking allows them to experiment with CSDS despite uncertainty. Policy interventions should strengthen farmers’ entrepreneurial capacity by promoting training and extension programs that build confidence, decision-making autonomy, and willingness to adopt CSDS. These findings offer clear and actionable recommendations to boost CSDS uptake and support sustainable agriculture in Kenya and other Sub-Saharan African countries.