Local perceptions and adaptations to climate change and variability: Evidences from Southern Ethiopia
Keywords:
Climate change, variability, knowledge, Perception, AdaptationAbstract
Purpose: climate change and variability is emerging as a serious global threat to the nation’s future economic prosperity, environmental quality and social wellbeing. The overall aim of this study was to examine climate change and variability vulnerabilities and adaptation responses of local communities in southern Ethiopia. The specific objectives were to explore local peoples’ perceptions and adaptation strategies towards climate change and variability and investigate factors influencing these endeavors across cultural and geographical contexts.
Methodology: Four sample study areas were purposively selected for this study. The criteria for selection were presumed representatives of the Southern Ethiopia in terms of the various environmental attributes & presence of long term meteorological records with in the area. Both Qualitative and quantitative primary and secondary data were used in this study. The primary data was collected using questionnaire, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, in-depth case interview and direct observation. Secondary data (time series rainfall and temperature data spanning a period of 1987-2012) were obtained from Ethiopian National Meteorological Agency. Both quantitative and qualitative methods of data analysis were used.
Results: The findings show that the increasing trend of temperature, unpredictable, erratic and decreasing trends of rainfall were perceived by most of the sample respondents. This result was in line with the meteorological records of temperature and rainfall data of most of the meteorological stations. The standardized annual rainfall anomalies showed that more than 50% of the annual rainfall was below the average annual rainfall record in almost all stations which indicated the occurrences of several worst meteorological droughts in various years. The analysis also revealed that age and educational levels were found to have significant influence on the perception and adaptation of climate change & variability. The adaptation strategies used in the area included adjustments in crop and livestock production as well as involving in other income generating options.
Recommendations: The study suggests that more efforts should be geared to improve communities’ education and create better institutional setup that enhance resilience, improve and sustain adaptation strategies to climate change & variability.
Downloads
References
Adger,W.N., Agrawala, S., Mirza, M.M.Q. , Conde, C., O’Brien, K., Pulhin, J., et al. (2007). Assessment of adaptation practices, options, constraints and capacity. In M.L., Parry, O.F. Canziani, J.P. Palutikof, P.J. van der Linden and C.E. Hanson (Eds.), Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (pp. 717–743). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press
Agnew, C.T. and A. Chappel. (1999). Drought in the Sahel. Geo Journal 48, 299-311.
Amsalu, A. and Adem, A., (2009). Assessment of Climate Change-induced Hazards, Impacts and Responses in the Southern Lowlands of Ethiopia. Forum for Social Studies, report No.4
Bewket W, Conway D (2007). A note on the temporal and spatial variability of rainfall in the drought-prone Amhara Region of Ethiopia. International Journal of Climatology, 27, 1467–1477. doi:10.1002/joc.1481
Bewket W,(2012). Climate change perceptions and adaptive responses of smallholder farmers in central highlands of Ethiopia, International Journal of Environmental Studies, 69(3), 507-523, DOI: 10.1080/00207233.2012.683328
Bewket, W. and Alemu, D., (2011). Farmers’ perceptions of climate change and its agricultural impacts in Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Development Research, 33, 1–28.
Boko M, Niang I, Nyong A, Vogel C, Githeko A, Medany M, Osman-Elasha B, Tabo R and Yanda P. (2007). Africa Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change. In: Parry, M.L., O.F. Canziani, J.P. Palutikof, P.J. van der Linden and C.E. Hanson (eds.). 2007. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK, pp. 433-467.
Bryan, E., T. Deressa, G.A. Gbetibouo, and C. Ringler; ( 2009). Adaptation to climate change in Ethiopia and South Africa: options and constraints. En¬vironmental Science & Policy, 12, 413–426.
De Luis M, Raventos J, Gonzalez-Hidalgo JC, Sanchez JR, Cortina J (2000). Spatial analysis of rainfall trends in the region of Valencia (East Spain). Int J Climatol, 20, 1451–1469. doi:10. 1002/1097-0088
Degefu, M.A. and Bewket, W., (2014). Trends and spatial patterns of drought incidence in the Omo-Ghibe River Basin, Ethiopia. Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography, doi:10.1111/geoa.12080
Deressa T (2010). Assessment of the vulnerability of Ethiopian agriculture to climate change and farmers’ adaptation strategies; PhD thesis.
Deressa, T., Hassan, R.M. and Ringler, C., (2008). Measuring Ethiopian farmers’ vulnerability to climate change across regional states. Discussion paper, IFPRI, Washington, DC.
Eriksen, S., & Selboe, E. (2012). The social organization of adaptation to climate variability and global change: the case of a mountain farming community in Norway. Applied Geography, 33, 159e167.
FDRE, (Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia), (2011). Ethiopia’s vision for a climate resilient green economy. Environmental Protection Authority.
Gray C, Mueller V (2012). Drought and population mobility in rural Ethiopia. World Dev, 40(1), 134–145. doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2011.05.023
Hamed KH (2008). Trend detection in hydrologic data: the Mann- Kendall trend test under the scaling hypothesis. J Hydrol, 349(3): 350–363. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2007.11.009
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Cli¬mate Change), (2001a). Climate Change 2001. Synthesis report, Cambridge University Press, Cam¬bridge, UK
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Cli¬mate Change), (2007a). Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Summary for Pol¬icymakers, IPCC AR4 WGII, Cam¬bridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
IPCC, (2007). “Summary for Policymakers“; in Climate Change 2007: Climate Change impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability: Working Group II Contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change Fourth Assessment Report.
Kassie et al, (2013). Adapting to Climate Variability and Change: Experiences from Cereal-Based Farming in the Central Rift and Kobo Valleys, Ethiopia, Environmental Management, 52, 1115–1131, DOI: 10.1007/s00267-013-0145-2
Mengistu K.(2011). Farmers’ perception and knowledge of climate change and their coping strategies to the related hazards: Case study from Adiha, central Tigray, Ethiopia, Agricultural sciences, 2(.2), 138-145 doi:10.4236/as.2011.22020
Muller C, Cramer W, Hare WL, Lotze-Campen H (2011). Climate change risks for African agriculture. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 108(11), 4313–4315
Murphy, S.J., R. Washington, T.E. Downing, R.V. Martin, G. Ziervogel, A. Preston, M. Todd, R. Butterfield and J. Briden, (2001). Seasonal forecasting for climate hazards: prospects and responses. Nat. Hazards, 23, 171-196
EMA (Ethiopian Meteorological Agency). (2007). Initial National Communication of Ethiopia to the United Nations Framework convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). National Meteorological Services Agency, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
ReliefWeb. (2012). UN Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia. http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/E6A1D2E70FE0B783C1256F2D-0047FC69-afar0905.gif
Salmi, T., Maatta, A., Anttila, P., Ruoho-Airola, T. and Amnell, T., (2002). Detecting trends of annual values of atmospheric pollutants by the Mann-Kendall test and Sen’s slope estimates: the excel template application MAKESENS. Finnish Meteorological Institute, No. 31.
Smithers, J., & Smit, B. (1997). Human adaptation to climatic variability and change. Global Environment Change, 7, 129–146.
Tazeze et al (2012). Climate Change Adaptation Strategies of Smallholder Farmers:The Case of Babilie Kebele, East Harerghe Zone of Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia, Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development,.3(14).
Temesgen D, Claudia,R., Mahmud, Y., Rashid. M, and Tekie, A. ( 2008) Analyzing the De¬terminants of Farmers’ Choice of Adaptation Methods and Perceptions of Climate Change in the Nile Basin of Ethiopia. IFPRI. Discussion Paper No 00798 Washington, DC.
Temesgen D., Yehualeshet H., and Rajan D.S. (2014). Climate change adaptations of smallholder farmers in South Eastern Ethiopia. Journal of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, 6 (11), 354-366. DOI: 10.5897/JAERD 14.0577
Tesso et al (2012). Econometric analysis of local level perception, adaptation and coping strategies to climate change induced shocks in North Shewa, Ethiopia, International Research Journal of Agricultural Science and Soil Science, 2(8), 347-363.
Viste, E., Korecha, D. and Sorteberg A., (2013). Recent drought and precipitation tendencies in Ethiopia. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 112, 535–551. doi:10.1007/s00704-012-0746-3
Yesuf M., Salvatro,D. Temesgen, D. Claudia,R and Gunnar, K. (2008). The Impact of Cli¬mate Change and Adaptation of Food Production in Low Income Countries. Evidence from the Nile Basin, Ethiopia. IFPRI. Discussion Paper No 00828. Centre for Environmental Eco¬nomics and Policy in Africa. Pretoria, South Africa: University of Pretoria.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.
