SMALLHOLDER FARMERS’ PERCEPTION AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE: THE CASE OF ANGACHA DISTRICT IN KEMBATA TEMBARO ZONE, SNNPR, EHIOPIA.

Abstract

Ethiopia is one of the agrarian countries in Africa dominated by subsistence farming which is highly susceptible to climate change. This study was therefore aimed to assess smallholder farmers’ perception and its impacts and adaptation strategies followed to reduce vulnerability to climate change in the study area. The data was collected from 124 sample farmers using a questionnaire survey, FGD and key informative which were analyzed using both descriptive statistics and Multinomial logit model. Major adaptation options were drought tolerant crops, changing planting date, integrating crops with livestock, income source diversification and soil and water conservation practices. The general scenario temperature and rainfalls data result indicates increases temperature and decreases of rainfalls in study area. The result from the multinomial logit analysis showed that age, education, farm experience, farm size, livestock holding, access to climate information, access of extension service, access to credit, and access of irrigation water are significance factors influencing to farmers’ adaptation strategies. Farmers perceived the most important barriers to adaptation were lack of forecasting climate information, shortage of land, lack of credit access, lack of money, lack of extension service, poor potential for irrigation. Therefore, future policy should focus on adaptation strategies through awareness creation, the establishment of meteorology station at district level, mass media and extensions services, access to credit and enhancing research on it.