DETERMINANTS OF SMALLHOLDER FARMER’S ADAPTATION STRATEGIES TO CLIMATE CHANGE: THE CASE OF HARAMAYA DISTRICT, EASTERN HARARGHE, OROMIA, ETHIOPIA.

Abstract

In Ethiopia in general and more so in the area of study where the livelihood of people depends on subsistence rain-fed farming, climate change causes a serious problem. The key to securing resilient smallholder farmers' livelihood systems is successful improvements in adaptation to climate conditions. This study therefore established the option of smallholder farmers and variables that decide climate change adaptation strategies in rural Haramaya districts, Ethiopia, which are strictly affected by climate change pressure. A cross-sectional survey research design was employed to collect data from 189 randomly selected smallholder farmers to identify adaptation measures being undertaken and to estimate the prominent determinants in the study area. The research used both primary and secondary data’s. Primary data were gathered through focus group discussion, key informant interview, personal observation, and house hold survey. Secondary data were collected from all concerned stakeholders sources for the analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to explain the climate change adaptation strategies of farmers and an econometric multinomial probit model was used to classify the variables deciding the household choice of climate change adaptation strategies. The results of the model showed that age, climate information, livestock holding, access to irrigation, household education level, frequency of extension visit, active labor size and access to credit were the most significant variables affecting the choice of smallholder farmers adaptation strategies in response to climate change. The likelihood of households to use changing planting period, soil and water conservation practices, change livestock type, income source diversification and growing drought tolerant crops were 16.69%, 22.32%, 15.25%, 28.92% and 16.82%, respectively. The regional government and non governmental organizations must therefore help to improve farmers' adaptation capacity by providing credit accesses, enhancing farmers with awareness of climate change adaptation strategies and technologies, providing extension services as well as formal and informal education, and investing on the long run climate mitigation projects.