ASSESSMENT ON FARMER’S PERCEPTION OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND ADAPTATION STRATEGIES: THE CASE OF MIRAB ABAYA WOREDA, SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

The agriculture sector in Ethiopia is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. The study area is one of the prone areas. This study aims to assess farmers’ perceptions of climate change and factors influencing intensity of adoption of adaptation strategies in Mirab Abaya Woreda. Both qualitative and quantitative data obtained using primary and secondary sources. The primary data was collected from 143selected respondents through interview schedule. Secondary data on temperature and rainfall for the period 1990-2019 were also obtained from National Meteorological Agency. The analysis of climate data revealed that, temperature was increased by 0.035 °C/year in the past three decades. Also the rainfall amount increased by 7.90 and 1.33 mm/year for Annual and Belg rain in the past three decades. The results of the Tobit regression model showed that education, access to climate information, participation in nonfarm and off farm income activities, household size, farm land size, credit service, and frequency of DA contact have significant influence on the intensity of adoption of climate adaptation strategies. Thus, the government should design policies aimed at improving these factors.