Abstract:
Climatevariabilityposesthreatstoagricultureandnaturalresourcesacrosstheworld.Studies on the effect of climate variability on specific crops and farmers perception onthe variability arenecessarytomaketargetedandeffectiveadaptationmeasures.Basedonthisreality,thisstudyassessedimpactofclimatevariabilityonbarleyproductionandfarmers’perceptionandadaptionresponsesinMishaDistrict.Ahouseholds’surveywascarriedforatotalof 129householdheadstogetprimarydataoffarmers’perceptionofclimatevariabilityandadaptationoptionspracticedinthestudyarea. Qualitativedatacollectionwasdonethroughfocusgroupdiscussion,keyinformantinterviews,questionnaireandfieldobservationfromthreekebelles.Historicaltemperature,rainfallandbarleyproductiondata(1986-2019)wereusedtoanalyzethetrendandvariabilityoftheminthestudyarea.Coefficientofvariationwas used todeterminevariabilityofrainfallandtemperature.Simplelinearregressionfortrendanalysis,correlationforrelationdeterminationandtheirassociationweretestedbyChi-Squareandttest.Kiremtandbelgrainfallhashighvariability(CV=32.9%,30.6%)respectively.BothkiremtmeanmaximumandmeanminimumtemperatureoftheMishaDistrictshowsincreasingtrend(0.08℃,0.035℃)peryearand(0.8℃,0.35)℃perdecaderespectively.Standardizedrainfallanomalyindexwasusedtocharacterizedroughtseverity;itrevealslessdroughtcharactersinstudyareawithslightdecreasingtrendofannualrainfallby1.81mmperyear;1.81mmperdecades.Farmersinstudyareaperceivedclimatevariabilityandchangesuchasrainfallerraticnessandslightdecreasingpatterns,increasingtrendintemperature,productionvariationonbarley,pestsanddiseasesoccurrences,whichharshtheirenvironment.Therelationshipofbarleyproductionwithrainfallwaspositivewhilenegativewithmaximumandminimumtemperature.Fromthosefamiliaradaptationoptionsweresoilandwaterconservation,croprotation,mixedcropping,plantation,diversifyingincomesource,changingsowingcalendarandusingimprovedcropvarieties.Skillgaponagriculturaltechnologypractices,accesstoincomegenerationandsupplyofimprovedseedswereinfluencingfactorsofadaptationforseveralyearsinthestudarea.DuetothissupportingfarmersinMishaDistrictbyproductivesafetynetprograms,supplyingproductivecattle,smallruminantbreedsandbuildingtheirskillgaponadaptionstrategiesthroughgovernmental,nongovernmentalandparticipatingthemisessential.
