International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 11, Issue 10, October 2021 176 ISSN 2250-3153 This publication is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY. http://dx.doi.org/10.29322/IJSRP.11.10.2021.p11821 www.ijsrp.org The Influence Of Climate Resilient Agriculture On Food Security In Kitui County Aliseba Akinyi Wagah 1 , Samuel China 2 , Moses Akali, Ngaiwa 3 and Ferdinand Makhanu Nabiswa 4 1,2,3,4 Department of Emergency Management and Humanitarian Assistance, Masinde Muliru University of Science and Technology P.O Box 19050100, Kakamega, Kenya DOI: 10.29322/IJSRP.11.10.2021.p11821 http://dx.doi.org/10.29322/IJSRP.11.10.2021.p11821 Abstract Climate change and food security are two of the most pressing challenges facing the global community today. Improving smallholder agricultural systems is a key response to both. Given that agriculture is the key economic sector of most low-income developing countries, improving the resilience of agricultural systems is essential for climate change adaptation. Kitui County is characterized by low and declining crop productivity. It is particularly susceptible to climate change due to its over-reliance on rain- fed agriculture, aridity, inadequate water supply and degradation of many of its natural resources. This study examined the influence of Climate Resilient Agriculture on food security in Kitui County. The study was underpinned by a theoretical framework guided by the resilience theory and adopted a descriptive research design. The study targeted 384 household heads in Kitui County who included small holder farmers and livestock framers; Stratified random sampling Purposive sampling were used to select the respondents in the study. It was established that Climate Resilience Agriculture had played a significant role to ensure farmers in Kitui are food secure. At least 73% of the respondents agreed with the statement that ‘the adaptation of new variety crops increased food availability and accessibility’, while 10% were not sure and 7% disagreed with the statement. The overall conclusion of the study is that Climate Resilient Agriculture has led to increased food production and thereby increasing the Food Security, livelihoods, and nutrition in Kitui County. Climate Resilient Agriculture should be embraced by all stakeholders to ensure farmers benefit from the enhancement of the knowledge base to enable them to make informed climate resilience decisions. Key words: Climate Resilient Agriculture, Food Security, Climate Change adaptation, Crop yield, Livelihood 1.0 Introduction The United Nation Framework Convention (UNFCC) defines climate change as a change of climate that is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and that is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods (UNFCC, 2011). Extreme weather conditions such as flood and droughts have been experienced globally and this has had a direct effect on food production and thus further impacting on food security. Food security will be increasingly affected by projected future climate change, (IPCC, 2019). According to the World Food Summit, 1996, Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life (FAO, 2006). Globally, climatic factors constitute some of the main constraint to food security where livestock and crop production have been assumed as exogenous and unchanging (Wreford et.al., 2010). Increased temperatures and reduced precipitation can cause important drops in forage production, such as the 60 percent deficit of green fodder during the 2003 summer in France (FAO, 2015). In various countries in sub-Saharan Africa, 20 to 60 percent losses in animal numbers were recorded during serious drought events in the past decades. Over one billion people worldwide live in extreme poverty and livelihood insecurity. More than 75% are small agricultural producers in rural areas (CORDAID, 2016).