ASSESSMENT OF CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND ITS PERCEIVED IMPACT ON CROP PRODUCTION AND FARMERS’ADAPTATION STRATEGIES: IN THE CASE OF HADERO TUNTO WOREDA OF KEMBATA TEMBARO ZONE, SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Climate variability is one of the serious environmental challenges that have received a lot of attention in most parts of the world due to its effects on agriculture. The assessment of climate variability on crop production and adaptation strategies differs from place to place. The objective of this study was to assesses major features of temperature and rain fall pattern, maize Production and to identify major adaptation strategies practiced by Smallholder Farmers’ in Response to Adverse impacts of Climate Variability in hadero Tunto woreda, Kembatoa Tembaro Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Both primary and secondary data were used for this study. Two hundred eighty six households of maize farmers from three kebeles were selected through stratified sampling method based on their agro-ecological conditions in the study area. The result showed that rainfall and temperature are found to be more variable in the study area in the period from 1997 to 2016. Result obtained from the magnitude and variability of both maximum and minimum temperatures were increasing more than that of the rainfall in the study area. Detailed analysis of rainfall has shown a decrease in the amount of rainfall during main rainy season (June to August and partly in September) at the study area, while short rainy season that runs from (March to May) was increased that considered climate variables and socio-economic data were found to have a significant impact on the farmers’ maize production by quintal per hectare. Household interviews indicated that farmers were aware of the occurrence of climate variability hence devised adaptation strategies in response to it. Such adaptation strategies employed by farmers include the use of different maize seed varieties, soil and water conservation structures, tree planting and diversification of crops…. In general, the findings of the study suggest that there is a need to support farmers’ adaptation capacity and improve their maize production efficiency to overcome the negative effects of climate variability on maize crop production.