Abstract:
This study examines drought, indigenous early warning practices and adaptation strategies in
rural area of Sofi woreda. The main objective of this study was to assess drought, indigenous
early warning practices and adaptation strategies in the study areas. To address this objective
triangulation research design selected. Primary source of data gathered from 284 respondents
through questionnaire. Data entry and analysis applied using statistical packages such as
frequency, percentage, mean, average and Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Multinomial
logit model was applied to analyze drought adaptation choices. This study finds out that crop
failure, livestock disease and shortage of water were the impact of drought. This study revealed
that animal behavior, wind direction and termite infestation were the most powerful indigenous
early warning of drought. The major adaptation strategies were water resource harvesting and
soil management is the most commonly used strategies by 33.8% of respondents, where as
growing drought tolerant crops was the second adaptation strategies that are selected by 34.5%
respondents. In addition to this 23.9%, of participants used short-term growing crop variety as a
strategy and selling of livestock least practiced among the major adaptation strategies identified
in the area. The study further noticed that the independent variables age, family size, farm size,
livelihoods diversification, distance to market, accesses to climate information and agricultural
extension service had statistically significant effect on drought adaptation strategies (p<0.05).
Finally, the local government should integrate scientific and indigenous drought warning system
for a better reduction of the drought impacts in the study areas.
