Ejesm V13i2 5
Ejesm V13i2 5
Ejesm V13i2 5
Abstract
The study examined climate variability; identified types of adjustments agro-pastoral
households are making in their crop and livestock production practices in response to
climate changes; and assessed factors influencing agro-pastoral households’ decision to
practice adaptation mechanism. Thirty years of meteorological station data beginning from
the year 1987 to 2016 and primary data collected from randomly selected 156 agro-
pastoral households were used in this study. The data were analyzed using descriptive
statistics and multinomial econometric model. The result revealed that the temporal
variation of total amount of annual rainfall was recognized as moderate and there was an
increase of maximum temperature throughout the study period. There were also five
highest drought and four highest flood years. Agro-pastorals practice multiple strategies to
adapt to the changing climate. The empirical model also confirmed multiple factors
including formal education, access to extension service, and market access influenced
households’ decision to adopt climate change adaptation options. Therefore, policies and
intervention programs aimed at promoting household level climate change adaptation
need to invest more on providing reliable meteorological information, formal education,
extension services, and better infrastructure.
the future. In Ethiopia, the temperature has assets due to drought induced emergencies
been increasing annually at the rate of in the region during the past 15 years
0.2°C over the past five decades. This has (DPPB, 2008). The effect of climate
already led to a decline in agricultural variability coupled with the increase in
production. Needless to mention that the human population exacerbated the
consequences of climate change and the impacts of climate changes on crop and
emphasis to be placed on it depends, livestock production which further
among others, upon the significance of the complicates the problem of rural
agricultural sector in the national households’ food insecurity and poverty
economy. The economy of many in the region. These calamities also have
developing countries, including Ethiopia, political consequences and serious
is heavily dependent on agriculture. The development implications that no one in
livelihoods of the vast majority of their region and beyond could ignore.
populations depend directly and indirectly The fact that climate has been
on this sector. This dependence on changing and will continue to change in
agriculture increases the vulnerability of foreseeable future implies the need to
the economy of these countries and the understand how farmers practice different
rural smallholders’ to problems related to strategies for adaptation to climate change
climate change. in the future. Adaptation to climate
Concerns over population growth, change is an essential strategy to reduce
climate change, conflict and declining the harshness and cost of climate change
productivity of the natural resource base impacts. Adaptation measures help
also present very real challenges for farmers guard against losses due to
pastoralists and agro-pastoralists in the increasing temperatures and decreasing
Horn of Africa. Without significant precipitation (IPCC, 2007). Adaptation to
support, levels of poverty, vulnerability current or expected climate variability and
and destitution will rise due to the effects changing climate conditions involves
of marginalization, recurrent drought and adjustment in natural or human systems in
floods, conflict and livestock epidemics response to actual or expected climate
(Magda, et al., 2009). The frequency of stimuli or their effects, which moderates
drought, flood, outbreaks of livestock and harm or exploits beneficial opportunities
human diseases, crop pests and other (IPCC 2001).
associated emergencies have dramatically Hence, developing a better
intensified in the pastoral and agro- understanding of the adaptation strategies
pastoral areas of Ethiopian Somali and factors influencing the agro-pastorals’
Region. Further, the economic and social choice of the strategies provide the ground
impacts of these calamities are very vast for wiser agricultural and environmental
as reflected by the past and recent policies, and identify entry points to
experiences in the Region. According to mitigate the impacts of climate change. In
the regional Disaster Prevention and the face of this different studies regarding
Preparedness Bureau (DPPB) estimates, farmers’ choices of adaptation options and
there were about 200,000 - 300,000 their determinants were carried out in
pastoralists and agro-pastoralists that had different countries including Ethiopia
dropped off their livelihoods and (Deressa et al., 2008; Hassan and
substantially reduced and depleted their Nhemachena, 2008; Deressa et al., 2009;
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Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management Vol. 13 no.2 2020
Fig. 1: Map of Ethiopia showing the location of the study region, zone and district
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Climate Variability and Agro-pastorals’ Adaptation Strategies...............Abebaw et al.
sampling procedures the ultimate sample socioeconomic data were summarized and
households were selected from the three presented using descriptive statistics.
sampled kebeles. Co-efficient of Variability (CV) and
Both primary and secondary data were Anomalies were the methods used to
collected for this study. The household know the long-term variability and
survey was conducted in the production anomalies in rainfall and temperature
year of 2018/19. Primary data at the for the study district. Rainfall variability
household level were collected through a is determined by the statistical test
household survey using structured coefficient of variation. A higher value
questionnaire. Five enumerators who of Co-efficient of Variation is the
know the local language and the culture of indicator of larger variability and is
the community were trained and calculated with the following equation
undertook the survey. The questionnaire (1).
helped to capture data on demographic,
= × 100 1
µ
social, economic and institutional factors,
and information on climate variability and
trends of such variations in the district, Where,
adaptation strategies practiced, etc. CV - co-efficient of variation; σ -
Monthly temperature and precipitation standard deviation and -µ mean
data from 1987 to 2016 were also obtained precipitation. Based on the results,
from the Ethiopian Ministry of Metrology degree of variability of the rainfall events
to the study area. will be classified as, less (CV<20),
The sample size for the households’ moderate (20<CV<30) and high (CV>30)
survey was determined using Yamane (Asfaw et al., 2018).
sample size, = ⁄ +
(1967) simplified formula to calculate Similarly, anomalies in rainfall have
, where n been done to determine the dry and wet
= sample size, N is the population size, e years to severity of droughts and to
is the level of precision. Consequently, a identify the nature of trends (Asfaw et al.,
total of 156 sample households were 2018). as eq. (2):
−
selected (Table 1).
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(MNL) model. The MNL model was used that the ratio of the probabilities of
based on the previous literature on choosing any of the two alternatives is
determinants of farmers’ adaptation to independent of the attributes of any other
climate change (Sanga et al., 2013). The alternative in the choice set (Long, 1997;
model is appropriate for this type of study Tse, 1987).
because it allows the analysis of decisions The model is specified as follows:
involving more than two categories Let Ai be a random variable representing
(Greene, 2003). Nevertheless, the model the adaptation measure chosen by any
requires that households are associated agro-pastoral household. It is assumed that
with only their most preferred option from each agro-pastoral faces a set of discrete,
a given set of adaptation strategies. In mutually exclusive choices of adaptation
other words, it requires that the probability measures. These measures are assumed to
of using a certain adaptation method by a depend on a number of socioeconomic
given household is independent from the characteristics and other factors X. The
probability of choosing another adaptation MNL model for adaptation choice
method. Meaning the parameter estimates specifies the following relationship
of this model have to satisfy the between the probability of choosing
assumption of independence of irrelevant option Ai and the set of explanatory
alternatives (IIA). Specifically, IIA states variables X as (Greene, 2003):
# %
=! =
" $ &
$
∑()* " #( %&
, j=0,1,…,J (3)
0
./ 0 &$ = 1 2 34 − 35 = 1 2 34 , 78 9 = 0
Estimating equation (4) yields the J log-odds ratios
(5)
&(
The dependent variable is therefore the log of one alternative relative to the base
alternative. The MNL coefficients are difficult to interpret, and associating the βj with the
jth outcome is tempting and misleading. To interpret the effects of explanatory variables on
the probabilities, marginal effects are usually derived as (Greene, 2008):
?
;<4
:4 = = <4 =34 − > <5 35 B = <4 34 − 3̅
;1
5@A
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Climate Variability and Agro-pastorals’ Adaptation Strategies...............Abebaw et al.
D=31 +E4
Therefore, the full model is specified as follows:
(6)
Where:
βi's are parameters to be estimated; yi are adaptation options (or alternatives); xi is a set of
independent variables; and εi are the error terms.
600.0
400.0
200.0
y = -0.3115x + 450.16
0.0 R² = 0.0012
1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015
Year
Fig. 2: Total amount of Annual rainfall for Kebribayah district from 1987 to 2016
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2.00 R² = 0.0012
0.00
-2.00
-4.00
Year
29.00
28.00
27.00
26.00
25.00 y = 0.0485x + 26.626
24.00 R² = 0.4374
23.00
1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015
Year
Fig. 4: Annual Average Maximum Temperature for Kebribayah district from 1987 to 2016
15.50
15.00
14.50
14.00 y = 0.0019x + 14.735
13.50 R² = 0.0034
1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015
Year
Fig. 5: Annual Average Minimum Temperature for Kebribayah district from 1987 to 2016
Climate Change Adaptation Options result also shows that 20% and 14% of the
Table 2 shows the adaptation respondents adopted herd diversification
strategies employed by the sampled agro- and herd mobility strategies, respectively.
pastorals. It reveals that most agro- However, about 41% of the sampled agro-
pastorals practiced adjusting planting date pastorals did not pursue any adaptation
and adopting early maturing drought measure to cope with climate change.
tolerant crop varieties strategy (25%). The
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Table 3: Parameter estimates of multinomial logistic regression model
Variable Adjusting planting date and adopt early Herd diversification Herd Mobility
maturing drought tolerant crop varieties
Co-eff. Marginal effect Co-eff. Marginal effect Co-eff. Marginal effect
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of adjusting planting date and adopting drought tolerant crop varieties as climate
early maturing drought tolerant crop change adaptation strategy at 5%
varieties and herd mobility by 6.2% and significance level. The likelihood of
7.5% respectively (Table 3). Increases in practicing the mentioned adaptation
livestock holding builds confidence and strategy decreases by 82.5% for a km
widen the chance to test better increase in market distance. This finding
opportunities and crop technologies is in agreement with many studies
available at the agro-pastorals disposal. (Solomon et al., 2014).
The income derived from livestock Crop income negatively and
production hence could help the significantly decreases practicing herd
household to cope and adapt to the mobility as adaptation option at 5% level
changing climate if the adjusted planting of significance (Table 3). This implies
date did not work. Further, increases in when the dominant source of income is
livestock production in agro-pastoral areas crop production, increase in crop income
directly related with availability of feed encourage agro-pastoral households to
and moisture which implies households lead sedentary life. On the contrary
respond to climate variability and decreases in the level of crop income
changing climatic situations through herd could be regarded as an incentive to
mobility. increase their herd size which could urge
Being married significantly increases the holder to be mobile in response to the
the use of adjusting planting date and changing climate.
adopting early maturing drought tolerant
crop varieties and herd diversification as Conclusions and Recommendations
climate adaptation options at 5 and 1 % There is noticeable climate variability
level of significance (Table 3). Being that has influenced crop and livestock
married increases the probabilities of the productivity in the district. Agro-pastoral
mentioned adaptation strategies by 70.9% households heavily depend on primary
and 48.5% respectively (Table 3). The economic activities. These activities are
likely reason is that crop and livestock highly vulnerable to variations in
production is labor intensive. On top of temperature and precipitation and climate
this men and women in agro-pastoral change impacts. Hence this study based on
households take different responsibilities the analysis of household level identified
in crop and livestock production in a way types of adjustments agro-pastorals are
to favor integration of crop production making in their crop and livestock
with herd diversification. production practices in response to the
As expected on average a kilometer climate changes, and factors influencing
increase in the market distance required to the probability of choosing adaptation
arrive at input and output market mechanism.
decreases the probability of adapting to The study has revealed a number of
climate change. The study result adaptation options being used by agro-
confirmed the prior expectation that a km pastoral households. Agro-pastorals
increase to the market distance from the practice adjusting planting date and
households’ residence negatively and adopting early maturing drought tolerant
significantly related to practice adjusting crop varieties, herd diversification and
planting date and adopting early maturing herd mobility. Empirical results from
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