Smallholder Farmers’ Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in the Ethiopian Rift Valley: The Case of Home Garden Agroforestry Systems in the Gedeo Zone

Abstract

Smallholder farmers who rely on home garden agroforestry are experiencing significant impacts from climate change. To mitigate these effects, it is crucial for farmers to have access to various adaptation strategies. This study collected data from 384 randomly selected respondents in 18 kebeles over three districts, using descriptive statistics and a multivariate probit model to evaluate the factors influencing smallholder farmers’ decisions on their adaptation strategies against climate change. In Ethiopia’s Gedeo zone, this study found that smallholder farmers employ a range of adaptation methods, including expanding their agroforestry system, implementing modern agriculture techniques, conserving soil and water, diversifying their livelihoods, and employing various coping mechanisms. By analyzing data using the multivariate probit model, this study found several factors that had a significant impact on smallholder farmers’ choice of adaptation options. These factors include social network, age, education level, farming experience, household size, cultivated land size, annual income, and livestock holding. In addition, factors such as perception of climate change, previous experience of crop failure, recurrent drought, and access to information about climate change, occurrence of frost, agricultural extension contacts, access to farmer-to-farmer extension services, and perception of land infertility also influence their decision-making process. Our findings highlight the importance of improving institutional services in rural areas, promoting education on climate change, and strengthening social networks to enhance the ability of smallholder farmers to cope with the effects of climate change.

Determinants of smallholder farmers choice of adaptation strategies in response to the impacts of climate variability in the Ayehu watershed, Northwest Ethiopia

“…Thus, when a household's income increases by one unit, the likelihood of implementing improved crop varieties, inorganic fertilizers, and mixed farming increases by 0.891, 1.302, and 1.250 times, respectively. Likewise, previous studies have shown that households with higher income levels are better able to perform adaptation options quickly than those with lower income levels(Adimassu & Kessler, 2016;Asayehegn et al, 2017;Darge et al, 2023).…”

Home food gardening in modern cities: advances, issues, and future perspectives

“…Climate change has caused extreme weather to occasionally affect protected fields, not to mention HFG sites without shelter. Typhoons, frosts, hailstorms, and heat injuries have become commonplace, making it difficult for HFG to operate outdoors and ultimately leading to a failure to improve food self-provisioning (Du Toit et al, 2022;Darge et al, 2023).…”