ASSESSING LIVELIHOOD DIVERSIFICATION STRATEGIES IN RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN WEST BADEWACHO DISTRICT OF HADIYA ZONE, SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

It is evident that climate change is real and rural farm households are focusing on several livelihood diversification options in response to climate change. In the study area, West Badewacho, the change in climate shifted households to carry out different livelihood strategies. The main aim of this study is to investigate livelihood diversification of farm households in response to climate change in the study area. Both primary and secondary data were collected to address the research objectives. Both Simple random sampling and systematic random sampling techniques were employed to collect the primary data from 147 household heads through interview; key informants interview, and focus group discussions. The secondary data were collected from Ethiopian National metrological agency. The collected data were analyzed through descriptive statistics like mean, maximum, minimum, percentage and multinomial logit model by using SPSS version 20 and STATA 13 software. Four livelihood diversification strategies were identified in the study area. Those are on-farm only, on-farm and non-farm, on-farm and off-farm, and the combination of on-farm, non-farm and off-farm livelihood diversification strategies. Generally, from the total households about 34% of them are participated in on-farm and non-farm livelihood diversification strategies response to climate change and to pursue livelihood income. The result shows that a livelihood diversification strategy is significantly influenced by sex, education level, family size, farm land size, extension contact, credit access and saving habit. The most important practice to adapt climate change and variability is livelihood diversification in the study area.