Abstract:
Adaptation strategies reduce the level of damages that might have otherwise occurred as
results of climate change and others. An appropriate perception about climate change is a
precondition for the approaching of adaptation strategies. The specific objectives of this
study were first to assess the perceptions of smallholder farmers on climate change in the
study area. Second to investigate the climate change adaptation strategies being practiced by
smallholder farmers and lastly to identify the determinants of smallholder farmers’ choice of
adaptation strategies to climate change. Both primary and secondary data were employed.
Primary data were collected from a randomly selected 155 sample households through
interview. Focus group discussion, key informant interview and field observation were also
employed as data collection tool. Relevant secondary data were also obtained from National
Meteorology Agency of Adama branch. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the
characteristics of sample households and types of adaptation strategies to climate change.
Likert scale was employed to examine smallholder farmers’ perception to climate change.
Moreover, multivariate probit model was employed to identify the determinants of
smallholder farmers’ choice of adaptation strategies to climate change. The result indicated
that the major adaptation strategies applied by smallholder farmers in the study area were
using improved crop varieties, adjusting planting date, planting tree, crop diversification,
and terracing practice. Multivariate probit model result showed that the likelihood of
households to adopt planting tree, terracing practice, improved varieties of crops, adjust
planting date, and use crop diversification were 76.5%, 74%, 51%, 46.7%, and 40.4%,
respectively. The result also showed that the joint probability of using all adaptation
strategies was only 9.6% and the joint probability of failure to adopt all of the adaptation
strategies was 4.1%. It was also found that educational, sex, farming experience, credit, farm
income, off/non-farm income, and access to climate change related training significantly
influenced choices of climate adaptation strategies. Therefore, future policy should focus on
awareness creation on climate change and its adaptation strategies.
