IMPACTS OF ADOPTION OF CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES ON RURAL FARM HOUSEHOLDS’ FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY IN EAST HARARGE ZONE OF OROMIA REGINAL STATE, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Analysts and policymakers will benefit from information on climate-smart agriculture and adaptation impacts and challenges to the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices, to the extent that climate change continue to conflict with people's livelihoods. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of climate-smart agricultural practices on the food and nutrition security of rural households. All of the necessary information for the study was gathered from primary and secondary data sources in accordance with the identified objectives. Primary data were gathered from 461 sample respondents. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and econometric models were used. The logit, ordered logit, multinomial models were used for data anlaysis. Multinomial endogenous switching and Inverse probability weighting method of generalized propensity score method were applied to analyze the impact of improved practices on rural household food and nutrition security. Estimated results show that the probability of adopting climate smart agricultural practices is significantly influenced by gender, education level, extension contact, livestock holding, cooperatives, market information, soil fertility status, slopes of farm land, training on land management, climate change information, access to training, perception of land degradation, climate change perception and weather road distance.The logistic regression model result stated that food security status is significantly influenced by age, education, social status, soil fertility, training, land management training, livestock holding, and climate change information. The ordered logit results indicated that the household level nutritional status is significantly influenced by age, cooperative, education, market information, soil fertility, livestock holding, and all weather road distance. Impact evaluation result indicated that adopting low levels of climate smart agricultural practices increases farm households’ food and nutrition security statuses by 28% and 4.3%. Adopting the medium indicators of climate smart practices increases food and nutrition security status by 43% and 20% respectively. Whereas adopting high and higher extents of climate smart agricultural practices increases food and nutrition security statuses by 56% and 19% and 61% and 41% over that of very low adopter households respectively. Furthermore, the GPS impact evaluation results indicated that at 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1 treatment level in the numbers of adopted climate-smart practices the farm household food security status increases by 47, 72% and 86% respectively and significant at 1% probability level. Likewise, at treatment level of 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1 in the number of adopted climate smart practices,