Farmers’ perception toward climate-smart agricultural practices: The case of Wadla District, Northeast Ethiopia

Purpose This study aims to assess farmers’ perception toward climate-smart agricultural practices (CSAPs), specifically, crop rotation, organic fertilizer, terracing, rainwater harvesting, crop residue management, intercropping, improved livestock breeds and improved crop varieties in Wadla District, northeast Ethiopia. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional household survey was conducted with 200 randomly selected households using structured interviews, supplemented by key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Perception was measured using a three-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data, and a multivariate probit model was used to analyze the interdependent perception of multiple CSAPs, accounting for correlations among practices. Findings Farmers generally held positive perceptions of most CSAPs, including improved crop varieties (mean = 2.79), crop rotation (2.97), intercropping (2.37), crop residue management (2.78), organic fertilizer (2.84), terracing (2.82) and improved livestock breeds (2.85). However, perception of rainwater harvesting was negative (1.30), indicating a critical adoption barrier. The multivariate probit model revealed significant interdependencies among perceptions of different practices (likelihood ratio test χ² (15) = 89.42, p 0.001). Associated factors included sex, livestock size, market distance, credit access, age, labor size and extension contact. Joint probability of positive perception across all practices was extremely low (0.8%), suggesting farmers are selective in their view favorably. Originality/value This study makes three distinct contributions: (1) it provides empirical evidence on the perception of eight locally practiced CSAPs in an under-researched district; (2) it uses a multivariate probit model to account for interdependencies among multiple practices; and (3) it identifies context-specific perceptual barriers (particularly rainwater harvesting) that inform targeted interventions. The findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of perception formation and offer practical insights for designing gender-sensitive CSAP promotion strategies.