Abstract:
The main purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of climate change on livelihood of rural
households in wolaita zone Damot Woyde district of southern Ethiopia. Both qualitative and
quantitative data obtained using primary and secondary sources. The primary data were
collected from 185 randomly selected respondents through interview while the qualitative data
using four focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Secondary data on temperature
and rainfall for the period 1987-2021 were also gathered from National Meteorological Agency
hawassa sub-office. The finding of the study reveals that temperature and rainfall increasing and
decreasing trend respectively. Reduction of crop yield and livestock number, shortage of posture
and insufficiency of water to be the major perceived impacts of climate change. To adapt the
changing climate of the area, farmers are already practicing adaptation strategies such as Crop
diversification, decrease livestock number, growing short maturing crops, intensive irrigation,
crop saving, changing planting dates, migration and reducing non-essential expense. This study
also identified barriers to adaptation of climate change are lack of climatic information, lack of
irrigation, lack of accessibility of infrastructure, lack of finance, lack of knowledge and skill and
absence of support from local administration. Therefore, depending on the finding of the study,
the following policy recommendations are forwarded are: increasing farmers’ awareness on
how to use agricultural technologies & inputs, restoring the degraded environment, introducing
short duration high yielding crops, diversifying crops, building the capacity of farmers &
encouraging CBA strategies as the main poverty reduction approach.
