Abstract:
variability on households in four kebeles of Haramaya woreda, Eastern Hararghe Zone,
Oromia Regional State. The study relied on both quantitative and qualitative methods of data
collection and analysis. The primary data were collected by using questionnaire (from 135
sample households), key informant interviews (15 participants), Focus Group Discussion (8
participants) and field observation. The study also used temperature and rainfall data from
1986 to 2016 to examine trends and changes of rainfall and temperature. The data obtained
from questionnaire were analyzed by using Percentage for description of data, T-test and
F-test for statistical differences. The finding of the study showed that there was a general
trend of increasing in average maximum and mean annual temperature in the past three
decades while the minimum one showed variation in the past two decades; annual rainfall had
showed inter annual and seasonal variation. The analysis also indicated that cooling of
temperature damaged crops and many types of vegetables and this in turn adversely affected
livelihood of the households and made them vulnerable to external intervention through aids.
According to perception by the sample households, it was identified that current agricultural
yields were low when compared to that of past 10 years mainly due to the impacts of climate
change and variability. Different adapting and coping strategies including using underground
water for irrigation and changing growing and harvesting time were applied. However, the
impacts of recent drought and cooling of temperature were beyond the resilience capacity of
the community and made them vulnerable to external aids. It is therefore, depending on the
results of finding and existing literatures, the investigator recommended that there should be
unreserved efforts to address socio-economic challenges of climate change and variability
through short term and long term adaptation and mitigation measures.
