Farmer’s response to climate change and variability in Ethiopia: A review

Abstract

Ethiopia is one of the most vulnerable countries experiencing drought and floods as a result of climate variability and change. Climate change in the form of higher temperature, reduced rainfall, and increased rainfall variability reduces crop yield and threatens food security in low income and agriculture-based economies. This study reviews impact of climate change and variability, and climate change adaptation strategies employed at farm level in response to perceived changes in temperature and precipitation. Climate change negatively affects agriculture, nutrition, ground water availability, soil organic matter and soil quality, health conditions, growth and poverty. The survey reveals that Ethiopian farmers adopt many strategies in response to climate change. These strategies include “use of improved crop varieties,” “agroforestry practices,” “crop diversification,” “soil conservation practices,” “tree planting,” “off-farm activities,” “irrigation practices,” “adjusting planting dates,” “selling of assets,” “food aid,” and “permanent and temporary migration in search of employment” are the most important adaptation strategies by smallholder farmers. However, “level of education,” “gender,” “age,” “wealth of the head of household,” “access to extension and credit,” “information and climate social capital,” “agroecological settings,” and “temperature” all influence farmer’s choices; “lack of information on adaptation methods,” “financial constraints,” and “lack of access to land” as main barriers to adapt climate change and variability. Another investigator also revealed that farmers living in the dry lowland area perceived more change in climate than farmers in the wet lowland area.

Keywords

• climate change
• variability
• adaptation
• farmer’s response
• ethiopia