Table 1.

Potential farm decision responses to seasonal climate forecast information that farmers in Machakos and Makindu, Eastern Province, Kenya, identified during workshops (August 2004).

type of decision	examples
intensification: quantities of productive resources used per unit land or labour	fertilizer use. Planting density. Pest management. Irrigation. Multiple cropping. Can include cultivar/seed selection
portfolio: resource allocation decisions	allocation of land among competing crops, farm enterprises, land uses. Allocation of household labour amount farm enterprises, off-farm enterprises, household care
asset exchanges and management	consumption versus precautionary savings versus investment. Borrowing, debt servicing. Leasing land. Procurement of resources, services. Precautionary maintenance. Storage
timing	timing of planting and other field operations. Timing of marketing. Forward contracts

The decision types represent the author's classification of farmer responses.