Perception of smallholder farmer’s and their adaptation strategies to climate change in Sekela district of West Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

Climate change is expected to have a profound impact on smallholder farmers around the world by causing severe environmental events. The study was conducted to assess the perception of farmers on Climate Change and their Adaptation strategies in the Sekela district, West Gojam, Amahara Region, North West part of Ethiopia. The data for this study were collected from 178 sample households that were selected using systematic random sampling techniques. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics with the help of STATA version 21. Farmers have perceived an increasing temperature, decreasing rainfall, the shortened cropping calendar; as a result, the majority of the respondents have adjusted their farming practices to offset the impacts of changes in temperature, rainfall patterns, and cropping seasons. Farmers also perceived that the delayed onset and early offset of rainfall, leading to reduce yields and total production of crops. The main adaption strategies practiced in the study area were, using improved crop varieties, soil and water conservations, adjusting planting dates, irrigation, and crop diversification. Across agro-ecological zone, adaptation strategies were more pronounced or practiced in (mid-land/ Weynadega than highland/Dega agro-ecological zones mostly in the case of irrigation and soil and conservation which implied that the Weynadega/midland agro-ecological zone is susceptible to the impact of climate change.