• climate change adaptation
• preferences
• agriculture
• technology adoption
• climate variability
• participatory varietal selection
• climate smart crop

The impact of climate change on economic activities and growing frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events make the adoption of climate adaptation measures essential, especially among smallholder farmers in developing countries. To increase the probability of adoption and the efficiency of these measures, the heterogeneity of farmers' preferences and the specificity of environmental conditions in which they operate have to be considered by researchers and policy makers.
Building on the literature on determinants of technology adoption, this study aims at providing an explanation of how climate variability, in addition to households' socioeconomic characteristics, influences farmers' preferences for a given climate smart crop and its possible adoption. To this end, the current study exploits a dataset collected in 2015 testing common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) varieties in the Trifinio area in Central America, where preferences for a set of these varieties are collected directly on farm. Preferences are elicited on eight common bean traits which signal agronomic, climate, economic and quality characteristics of the varieties considered. Once manipulated, the final dataset is composed by 462 observations divided among 37 villages. A cross-section analysis is performed implementing multiple logit models, using as climate factors temperature and rainfall indices. Results suggest that farmers actually respond to different climate factors in different ways, choosing varieties able to guarantee stable or higher yields in the face of adverse climate conditions.
Finally, data show a positive link between bad climate conditions and propensity to adopt a climate smart crop.