The dedicated agricultural extension service and adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices: evidence from smallholder tea farmers in Sri Lanka

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of dedicated agricultural extension services (DAES) on the adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices among tea farmers in Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach Employing the data from tea growers in Sri Lanka, we utilize the instrument-variable-based two-stage residual inclusion (2SRI) approach to examine the effect of DAES on the number of CSA practices adopted and specific CSA practices. We further conduct disaggregated analyses by household head age, farm size tertiles and asset ownership status to explore the heterogeneous role of DAES in CSA practice penetration. Additionally, we also investigate the impact of agri-specialist contact difficulty on the adoption of CSA practices. Findings The results revealed that the DAES adoption variable was significantly and positively associated with the number of CSA practices adopted, as well as three specific practices. However, it has no impact on the adoption of cover cropping. The disaggregated analyses showed that elderly farmers, asset non-owners and small- and large-scale farmland cultivators tend to benefit more in CSA practice adoption from DAES compared to their counterparts. Moreover, convenient access to agricultural specialists has been found to significantly promote the adoption of a greater number of CSA practices. Practical implications This study highlights the need to strengthen agricultural extension services, especially by improving access to agricultural specialists, to promote the adoption of CSA practices. Furthermore, CSA promotion strategies should be tailored to specific farmer profiles, targeting younger, asset-constrained or small-scale farmers with customized support packages. Originality/value The paper provides solid empirical evidence to the literature on the role of DAES in penetrating CSA practices among tea farmers in developing countries. By doing so, the study expands the scope of the literature on the association between extension services and the adoption of CSA practices.