http://ir.haramaya.edu.et//hru/handle/123456789/263 2026-06-17T14:22:12Z http://ir.haramaya.edu.et//hru/handle/123456789/8565 Gender Dimensions of Vulnerability and Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change and Variability: The Case of Smallholder Farmers in North Wollo Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia Ayele, Emebet Climate change presents significant challenges for resource-limited communities, intensifying their vulnerability and diminishing their adaptive capacities. Male-headed and female-headed farm households experience varied impacts of climate change and variability due to their unique socioeconomic contexts, leading to the development of distinct adaptation strategies. Understanding these gender dimensions of climate change perceptions and responses is essential for providing tailored extension and advisory services. This study investigates the gender dimensions of vulnerability and adaptation strategies to climate change and variability among smallholder farmers in the North Wollo zone of Ethiopia. Data were collected from 396 randomly selected smallholder farmers, supplemented by qualitative insights from focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The analysis employed various statistical methods, including percentage, Chi-square tests, t-tests, and content analysis, alongside the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Vulnerability Index, multivariate probit model, and endogenous switching regression model for impact analysis. Results indicate that female-headed households (LVI = 0.542) are more vulnerable to climate change than male-headed households (LVI = 0.446), reflecting greater sensitivity to climate-related stresses and limited adaptive capacity. Key factors contributing to this vulnerability include reliance on rain-fed agriculture, restricted access to irrigation, smaller landholdings, limited access to early warning information, and weaker social networks. In contrast, male-headed households exhibit greater adaptive capacity due to higher livestock and land ownership, better access to education, microfinance, and agricultural services, along with stronger social networks. Despite shared challenges such as land degradation and crop losses, adaptation strategies differ significantly between genders. While 92% of male-headed households have perceived recent climate changes, only 78% of female-headed households have done so. Moreover, a greater proportion of male-headed households (73.78%) have implemented adaptation strategies compared to only 58.91% of female-headed households. The study identifies critical determinants influencing adaptation choices, including age, education, landholding size, income, and access to climate information and credit. Notably, multivariate probit analysis reveals that land size significantly impact adaptation decisions for female-headed households, emphasizing the necessity to address gendered inequities in land rights. Furthermore, the study evaluates the welfare impacts of adaptation strategies, demonstrating that these strategies significantly improve both food consumption and household income for male- and female-headed households. Farmers who implement adaptation measures report higher levels of food consumption and income compared to those who do not. Specifically, female-headed households that did not implement adaptation strategies would see a decline of Birr 963.06 in food consumption expenditure, while male-headed households would face a considerably larger potential loss of Birr 3561.95. Additionally, households that engaged in adaptation strategies experienced income increases of 19.4% for female-headed households and 23.94% for male-headed households compared to their non-adapting counterparts. Targeted interventions are needed to enhance female farmers’ adaptive capacity. These should include expanding small-scale irrigation, providing gendersensitive microfinance, delivering tailored extension services, and improving access to climate information through women’s farmer groups. Coordination by local agricultural offices, NGOs, and community organizations is essential to ensure effective implementation. 135 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://ir.haramaya.edu.et//hru/handle/123456789/8563 SMALLHOLDER FARMERS’ KNOWLEDGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE, ADAPTATION STRATEGIES, AND THEIR IMPACTS ON FOOD SECURITY IN DIRE DAWA ADMINISTRATION, EASTERN ETHIOPIA Girma Admasu; Prof. Jema Haji (PhD); Chanyalew Seyoum (PhD); Eric Ndemo (PhD) Climate change and variability represent critical global challenges, with profound implications for agricultural productivity, particularly in Ethiopia, where manifestations such as drought and flooding exacerbate vulnerabilities, food insecurity, and rural poverty. Addressing the impacts of climate change necessitates a nuanced understanding of farmers' knowledge, adaptation responses, and the spatial and temporal variations in food security at the micro-level. This study aims to comprehensively assess smallholder farmers’ awareness of climate change and its determinants, identify the adaptation strategies they employ, and evaluate the impact of these strategies on household food security. Focusing on rural Dire Dawa Administration in Eastern Ethiopia, we employed a cross-sectional research design, collecting data from 385 farm households through a multi-stage random sampling technique and semi-structured questionnaires. A range of analytical methods, including ordered logit, multivariate probit, endogenous switching regression, and trivariate probit seemingly unrelated regression, were employed. Notably, only 30.5% of respondents demonstrated a high level of climate change knowledge, indicating a significant knowledge gap among the population. Adaptation strategies identified included livelihood diversification (44.88%), soil and water conservation (35.63%), chemical fertilizer use (32.54%), and irrigation (19.95%), with 73.49% of households adopting at least one strategy; however, 59% remained food insecure. The ordered logistic regression revealed that factors such as sex, age, marital status, and access to extension services significantly influenced climate change knowledge. The multivariate probit model also indicated that variables such as education, family size, farm income, and access to credit substantially shaped the selection of adaptation strategies, with evidence suggesting that certain strategies are complementary. Furthermore, the endogenous switching regression model established that the adoption of climate adaptation strategies significantly enhances food security, with adopters experiencing an 11.6% lower daily calorie intake in the absence of adaptation, while non-adopters would see a 12.8% increase in calorie intake if they had adopted climate adaptation strategies. The trivariate probit model underscored the strong interconnections between farmers’ climate knowledge, adaptation strategies, and food security. These findings underscore the necessity for targeted interventions by agricultural stakeholders, particularly policymakers and local development planners, to address the socio-economic, biophysical, and institutional factors influencing farmers’ climate knowledge, adaptation choices, and food security status. Such interventions are crucial for enhancing resilience and sustainability in the face of ongoing climate challenges. 173p. 2024-09-01T00:00:00Z http://ir.haramaya.edu.et//hru/handle/123456789/8416 Gender Dimensions of Vulnerability and Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change and Variability: The Case of Smallholder Farmers in North Wollo Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia emesgen (Asso. Prof., Daniel T PhD) Climate change presents significant challenges for resource-limited communities, intensifying their vulnerability and diminishing their adaptive capacities. Male-headed and female-headed farm households experience varied impacts of climate change and variability due to their unique socioeconomic contexts, leading to the development of distinct adaptation strategies. Understanding these gender dimensions of climate change perceptions and responses is essential for providing tailored extension and advisory services. This study investigates the gender dimensions of vulnerability and adaptation strategies to climate change and variability among smallholder farmers in the North Wollo zone of Ethiopia. Data were collected from 396 randomly selected smallholder farmers, supplemented by qualitative insights from focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The analysis employed various statistical methods, including percentage, Chi-square tests, t-tests, and content analysis, alongside the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Vulnerability Index, multivariate probit model, and endogenous switching regression model for impact analysis. Results indicate that female-headed households (LVI = 0.542) are more vulnerable to climate change than male-headed households (LVI = 0.446), reflecting greater sensitivity to climate-related stresses and limited adaptive capacity. Key factors contributing to this vulnerability include reliance on rain-fed agriculture, restricted access to irrigation, smaller landholdings, limited access to early warning information, and weaker social networks. In contrast, male-headed households exhibit greater adaptive capacity due to higher livestock and land ownership, better access to education, microfinance, and agricultural services, along with stronger social networks. Despite shared challenges such as land degradation and crop losses, adaptation strategies differ significantly between genders. While 92% of male-headed households have perceived recent climate changes, only 78% of female-headed households have done so. Moreover, a greater proportion of male-headed households (73.78%) have implemented adaptation strategies compared to only 58.91% of female-headed households. The study identifies critical determinants influencing adaptation choices, including age, education, landholding size, income, and access to climate information and credit. Notably, multivariate probit analysis reveals that land size significantly impact adaptation decisions for female-headed households, emphasizing the necessity to address gendered inequities in land rights. Furthermore, the study evaluates the welfare impacts of adaptation strategies, demonstrating that these strategies significantly improve both food consumption and household income for male- and female-headed households. Farmers who implement adaptation measures report higher levels of food consumption and income compared to those who do not. Specifically, female-headed households that did not implement adaptation strategies would see a decline of Birr 963.06 in food consumption expenditure, while male-headed households would face a considerably larger potential loss of Birr 3561.95. Additionally, households that engaged in adaptation strategies experienced income increases of 19.4% for female-headed households and 23.94% for male-headed households compared to their non-adapting counterparts. Targeted interventions are needed to enhance female farmers’ adaptive capacity. These should include expanding small-scale irrigation, providing gendersensitive microfinance, delivering tailored extension services, and improving access to climate information through women’s farmer groups. Coordination by local agricultural offices, NGOs, and community organizations is essential to ensure effective implementation. 150 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://ir.haramaya.edu.et//hru/handle/123456789/8292 ROLE OF MICROFINANCE ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF RURAL WOMEN IN TARMABER DISTRICT, NORTHSHOA ZONE, AMHARA REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA Tizita Tefera; (PhD) Wesagn Berhane; (PhD) Teklemariam Keneni Microfinance institutions considered as an important development program in Ethiopia, focused on reducing the poverty level of the community, especially women are in the mainstream of microfinance programs. This research was conducted to analyze the role of microfinance on rural women's socio-economic empowerment in Tarmaber district, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia. Multi-stage and purposive sampling techniques were followed to select 248 respondents from the three randomly selected Kebeles of Tarmaber district out of those which 118 were microfinance users and 130 non users. The primary data were collected by using semi-structured interview questionnaire from 248 respondents, six KII and two FGDs in each sample Kebeles. To find out factors affecting rural household’s participation in microfinance, nature of MFI credit utilization and examine impact of microfinance on rural women’s socio-economic empowerment in the district, data were analyzed by using descriptive, inferential statistics and econometric model. In the study, STATA software used to analyze the data. Binary logit model used to examine factors affecting MFI participation. Based on logistic regression those factors, education level, dependency ratio, annual farm income, annual off-farm income, distance from microfinance, saving, loan interest rate, and access to training significantly affected microfinance participation. The PSM used to examine the impact of microfinance participation on the annual income of rural household and women empowerment. The matching algorithm used was radius caliper band width 0.25. Results of ATT shows that microfinance user households have 2205 birr annual income difference than non-user households and there was 0.042 WEAI score difference between two groups. The researcher used WEAI to identify the level of women empowerment in the district and the result was 72%. There was a difference in the level of empowerment between microfinance user and non-user groups. The result from KII and FGD shows that majority of microfinance user households used microfinance loan for intended purpose, while some of them used for personal consumption (ekil, yebet tata,). Based on the findings, the study makes recommendations for microfinance institution in the district to give more training on effective loan utilization, close the gap and making efforts to minimize significant factors that contribute to women's disempowerment in the district. 110p. 2024-12-01T00:00:00Z