What constitutes climate change adaptation in Kenyan livestock systems: a systematic review

Climate change adaptation has become a key focus in recent agricultural literature, particularly within the livestock sector. But what exactly constitutes climate change adaptation? Despite the increasing attention to adaptation, the definitions, conceptualizations and operationalization of adaptation are often inadequately addressed in the literature. To bridge this gap, this article employs a systematic review methodology to analyse scientific literature on how authors conceptualize and operationalize climate change adaptation in livestock systems in Kenya. We reviewed a total of 65 studies across various production systems. The results highlight substantial variability in how researchers conceive and operationalize climate change adaptation. The operationalization of adaptation concepts varies widely across studies, often reflecting a bias towards technological solutions. Many authors emphasize adaptation as a technical process, with fewer addressing its social, economic, or political dimensions. Conceptual ambiguity, coupled with multiple influencing factors such as politics, land tenure and market dynamics, further complicates the operationalization of adaptation efforts in both research and practice. Additionally, people adopt practices that align with their complex realities, with climate change being just one of many factors at play. This insight has significant implications for the intersection of climate change adaptation, agricultural development and social development.