Farmers’ perceptions of climate change and its implication on livestock production in mixed-farming system areas of Bale highlands, Southeast Ethiopia

Abstract

Climate change affects the farming community of Ethiopia basically as a decrease and/or unpredictable time and duration of rainfall and increased temperature that expose farmers to frequent drought. The study was conducted to assess the perception of farmers on climate change and its implication to livestock production in mixed-farming system of the area. Structured questionnaire was used to collect primary information. Secondary data, field observation and focus group discussions were employed to generate the detail data. Farmers' asset holding, climate information access, farm productivity condition, climate change perception, climate change indicators, climate change implication on livestock production and adaptive strategies used by farmers were assessed through an interview of 156 systematically sampled wealth group households (HHs). The study indicated that temperature was rising while unpredictable and declining rain was significantly (P<0.05) between wealth groups. The situation resulted in livestock feed shortage, water scarcity, animal diseases incidence, low animal productivity and frequent drought cause problems across all wealth groups. These factors become determinant to herd livestock in the area by wealth group HHs. Decreased seasonal rainfall (47.4%), increased temperature (83.3%), increased disease incidence (47.4%), increased drought occurrence (66.0%) and variable plant growth period (48.7%) were observed by wealth group HHs as indicators of climate change and found affecting livestock production. Lack of climate related information source media (70.7%), less fertile land holding (97.4%), lack of alternative livestock feed and water supply and meager provision of advanced livestock production packages were basic problems of the community. Moreover, individuals' susceptibility to the climate attributes change varies on the asset they hold and their adaptive capacity. Therefore, improved weather forecasting and dissemination of climate change information source provision, identifying climate resistant and productive livestock species and promoting farm level adaptation options and adjusting market oriented livestock production should be sought based on wealth status and implemented for sustainable livestock productivity in the area.