Climate Change Discourse and local Perspectives: Farmers Awareness, Perceptions and Adaptation Strategies in Anfillo District of Kellem Wollega Zone

Abstract

Problems emanated from climate are negatively affecting a lot both African continents in general and our country Ethiopia in particular. There is variability among peoples and countries about the ways of getting awareness and perceiving the issue. The purpose of this study was to assess farmer’s awareness and perception toward climate change, consequences of climate change and available adaptation strategies in Anfillo district of Kellem Wollega zone. The study has employed mixed research method. To select representative sample multi stage sampling procedure for quantitative data and purposive sampling technique for qualitative data was employed. Household Survey with 209 respondents and in depth interview with 19 concerned informants have employed in the study. Both descriptive and inferential statics was employed to analyze quantitative data and thematic analysis method was employ to analyze qualitative data. The finding of this study indicated that most of the sample respondents have awareness about climate change. Farmers have understand or perceive climate change as increase in temperature, increase crop and animal disease, decline and fluctuation of rainfall and early fruiting of coffee plant. Farmers in Anfillo district have attributed climate change to anthropogenic or human factors. There causal perception was determined by level of education and discourse about climate change causation from different organs. Climate change was perceived by the farmers as something risk to their livelihood and environment as result of negative problems facing the framers and scary stories that they hear from different climate change discourse commentators. Water stress, health problem, and decline in agricultural productivity were the major problems faced by farmers because of climate change. Responses to climate change were on practice at individual, at community and at government levels in Anfillo district. But the level and magnitude of these responses varies from one level to other levels. Climate change adaptation strategies prompted by REDD+ program with idea of carbon compensation is bringing positive result in improving adaptation strategies at each level in the study area. The result of binary logistic regression model depicted that awareness about climate change, level of education, and access to awareness from mass media and government organs; current time risk experience and previous 10 years climate change risk experience are significant independent predictors of individual level climate change adaptation practices. Strategy designed so far has not walked the talk; Strong institution and system that can widen knowledge on climate change hazards and adaptations strategies that take in to account social dimension should be devise. Relevant livelihood diversification measures should be incorporated in to all policy measures of the country for farming community that suffering because of climate change.