Climate change, which is inevitable, has a large impact on economies and livelihoods of many people. Therefore, the need to mitigate it is paramount. Consequently, this has motivated a substantial body of research on the matter. The central issues that have been addressed are the impacts of climate change as well as the adaptation strategies that can be employed. The aim of this paper is to review existing literature on the above issues with a focus on smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. Adaptation strategies identified include; adjustment in land use, change in technology, farm diversification and risk management. Some environmental, economic and institutional factors are revealed to hinder farmers from adopting these strategies. The study recommends polices aimed at enhancing adaptation by smallholder farmers need to be emphasized. Additionally, future studies on climate change should widen the range of variables used so as to capture the current global food prices and adaptation transition costs.

Keywords: Climate change, adaptation, smallholder farmers, Ricardian model.