http://ir.haramaya.edu.et//hru/handle/123456789/263 Fri, 22 May 2026 23:08:27 GMT 2026-05-22T23:08:27Z 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 Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://ir.haramaya.edu.et//hru/handle/123456789/8416 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. Sun, 01 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://ir.haramaya.edu.et//hru/handle/123456789/8292 2024-12-01T00:00:00Z http://ir.haramaya.edu.et//hru/handle/123456789/8282 IMPACT OF IMPROVED SORGHUM VARIETY(GIRNA-1) ADOPTION ON SMALLHOLDER FARMERS’ FOOD SECURITY IN AMBASEL DISTRICT OF SOUTH WOLLO ZONE, AMHARA REGION, ETHIOPIA MEKONEN FENTAW KEBEDE; Dr.Wesagne Birhane (PhD); Hakim Hashim (Ass. Prof.) Sorghum is one of the dominant crops and is used as a source of food and income in the eastern parts of Amhara region. Several yield-increasing and drought-resistant improved sorghum varieties have been developed and released by research institutions to enhance small holder farmers' food security. However, the adoption of these improved varieties was low and their impact on household food security was not evaluated in the study area. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify the determinants of smallholder farmers' adoption and intensity of adoption of improved sorghum variety and to evaluate its impact on smallholder farmers' food security in the study area. A multistage sampling technique was used to select total of 242 sample households. Primary data was collected through semi-structured interview schedule, focused group discussions and key informant interviews. Secondary data was collected from books, articles and reports. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, as well as econometrics models like the double hurdle and endogenous switching regression model. The first hurdle probit model result revealed that age of the household head, educational level of the household head, farming experience, frequency of extension contacts, credit access, cooperative membership and land holding size affected adoption of improved sorghum variety significantly and positively whereas distance from the nearest market center affected it significantly and negatively. The second hurdle truncated regression model estimation result showed that family size, total livestock holding, cooperative membership, credit access and land holding size affected farmers' intensity of adoption significantly and positively. The Endogenous switching regression model estimation result showed that households' caloric intake would have decreased by 277.7 Kcal/day/AE and their dietary diversity score would have decreased by 1.6 if adopters had decided not to adopt. Non-adopter households’ caloric intake and dietary diversity score would have increased by 170.7 Kcal/day/AE and score of 2.2 respectively if they had decided to adopt. As a result, the adoption of improved sorghum variety had a positive impact on household caloric intake and dietary diversity score. Therefore, district governmental organizations and other stakeholders should encourage and promote the adoption of improved sorghum variety to improve smallholder farmers' food security. 111 Sat, 01 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://ir.haramaya.edu.et//hru/handle/123456789/8282 2024-06-01T00:00:00Z http://ir.haramaya.edu.et//hru/handle/123456789/8261 THE DETERMINANTS OF WOMEN’S VEGETABLE PRODUCERS ACCESS TO AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICES IN HARAMAYA DISTRICT, OROMIA REGION, ETHIOPIA Nadiya Abdusalam; Hakim Hashim (Assistant Professor); Teklemariam Keneni (PhD) Evidence shows that agricultural extension is one of the institutional services that have a central role in the transformation process of the agricultural sector. Women account for 50 percent of the population and are the main workforce in most rural Ethiopia where its economy depends on agriculture. However, women have limited access to agricultural extension services in Ethiopia in general and in the East Harghe zone in particular. This study intended to assess the status and determinants of women's participation in accessing agricultural extension services in vegetable production. The study used multi-stage techniques, combining probability and non-probability samplings to select households. The purposively selected Haramaya Woreda has 33 rural kebeles, stratified into 28 irrigable and 5 non-irrigable kebeles among four such as Damota, Maya lemon, kurro, and sharif-kalid were randomly selected from the irrigable ones for this study; 123 sample households were determined by Yamane formula and they are randomly selected based on each kebele’s population proportion to size. Primary data was collected from sample farmers through structured interviews and focused group discussions. The descriptive statistics analysis result shows that about 46.6% of households had access to agricultural extension service (AES) whereas 53.4% didn’t have access to the same. The Chi-square and t-test were employed to analyze the existence of explanatory variables' influence on the dependent variables and the logit econometric model was used to identify determinants of women's access to AES. Its regression result revealed that sampled households’ education level, family size, total annual farm income, participation in community affairs and women's association, and access to credit were positive while only age negatively and significantly affected women’s access to AES in their vegetable production in the study area. Therefore, kebele and district level and relevant public and NGO agricultural institutions should enhance the determinant factors to improve women farm households’ access to agricultural extension services in the study area and the region in general. 82 Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://ir.haramaya.edu.et//hru/handle/123456789/8261 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z