DETERMINANTS OF FARMERS’ CHOICES OF ADAPTATION STRATEGIES TO CLIMATE CHANGE: THE CASE OF GUANGUA DISTRICT OF AWI ZONE, AMHARA NATIONAL REGIONAL STATE, NORTHWESTERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Climate change has higher impact on agricultural production by its effect flood, drought, crop pests and diseases. The main objective of study was to assess the determinants of farmers’ choices of adaptation strategies to climate change. Both primary and secondary data were used. A multistage sampling technique was used. This study depends on cross-sectional data. Descriptive statistics,weighted average index, principal component analysis and Multivariate Probit model were used. Farmers' choices of adaptation strategies were affected positively by sex, age, formal years of education, family size, landholding, livestock ownership, farm income, off/nonfarm income, credit services, frequency of extension contact, climate information, perception and agroecological zone and negatively by distance to market. The study conclud that farmers choices of adaptation strategies were influced by socio-demographic and institutional factors. Thus, their choice needs to be supported by institutional services. Moreover, supporting female heade household,creating education opportunities, offering credit and extension services for less landholding, livestock ownership, farmincome and family size, reduce market distance, create off/non-farm employment opportunity, giving timely climate information and finally consider each agro-ecological setting that help farmers' to choices of climate change adaptation strat