Abstract:
Adaptation to climate related hazards influenced by the experience in prolonged effects of
changing climate and the determinants to choose adaptation measures by farm households.
This is because the impacts of climate extremes could affect different areas and people
within the same area differently. This study aims to determine how climate change is
affecting subsistence farmers' decision to utilize adaptation strategies and how climate
change is affecting them. A household survey conducted involving a sample of 145
randomly selected households. Field observation, KIIs, and FGDs utilized in order to
collect qualitative data. Explanatory sequential mixed-method research approaches
employed in order to meet the study's objectives. Furthermore, multinomial logit model
(MNL) is utilized to identify the variables influencing the adaptation strategies sample
household select, and farm households in the research area assessed institutional,
socioeconomic, and demographic data using descriptive and inferential statistics. The
findings showed that adaptation strategies used by farm households in the study area
include improved crop varieties, crop diversification, soil and water conservation, and
livelihoods diversification. The MNL model showed that Age, Family size, Income
source, Membership/participation in informal institutions, Access to credit, and Extension
contact, Access to water resource were found the determinants of choice of adaptation
strategies to the effects of climate change by sample farm households. These factors have
both positive and negative effects on smallholder farmers' decisions on adaptation
strategies in the study area. The main effects of climate change on the health of Crop and livestock was the occurrence of crop disease, impact of pests, and degradation of land, this
decreased crop yields and livestock products, and loss of household assets because of
recurring droughts. The required interventions developed by public and community
development organizations operating in the research area and at the regional level to
enhance smallholder households' capacity to adapt to the negative effect of climate change
