Climate change is an environmental process that is among the most limiting factors for increasing or even maintaining food production by small-farmer communities in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA). Adoption of climate change adaptation strategies that increase agricultural productivity and at the same time building farmers' resilience capacity has become a top policy priority in SSA. In this study, we investigate how maize-dependent smallholders in Ethiopia adapt to climate change. Both household and plot-level data were collected, and subsequently analysed by a multivariate probit regression model. Results show that most climate change adaptation strategies implemented by maize-dependent smallholders, are complementary. Combining conservation tillage, mixed maize-legume cropping and terracing along with the use of drought-resistant maize varieties allows farmers to increase productivity while building resilience to climate change more than a subset of these strategies. Findings indicate that the likelihood of adopting soil and water conservation practices, drought-resistant maize varieties and chemical fertilizers significantly increase among young and male-headed households as well as farmers having confidence in extension agents and membership in local organisations. Hence, policies should aim at further building agricultural extension agents' capacity by providing effective and continuous education and training on climate change impacts and responses. Promoting family ties and household memberships in local organisations through facilitating mutual cooperation and communication among farming communities would help to foster adoption of climate change adaptation strategies.
Smallholder crop producers in sub-Saharan Africa are adversely affected by climate change because of their reliance on rain for crop production. Promoting adaptation interventions at local scale is unlikely to be effective without understanding farmers' views on climate change. Our study analyzes climate change perceptions and responses by maize-dependent smallholders in Ethiopia. Household-level data on farmers' climate change perceptions and adaptation strategies were collected. In addition, meteorological data were obtained from local weather stations for the period 1985−2015. Descriptive statistics, standard rainfall anomalies, thematic content methods and binary logistic models were used to analyze the relationship between climate change perceptions and adaptations. Findings show that nearly all farmers perceived climate change through increased hot and warm days and nights as well as decreased precipitation volumes. Results indicate that farmers perceive shortened seasonal rainfall duration in terms of both late start and early end. Farmers employ a range of strategies, notably cropping date adjustment, improved crop variety use, crop diversification, agroforestry practices and seasonal migration to adapt to climate change. Farmers' adaptation decisions were mainly associated with their climate change perceptions as well as socio-economic factors such as education level and farm experience. It is, therefore, suggested that recognizing farmers' knowledge and experience on climate change would help develop context-specific, flexible adaptation strategies that better build resilience capacity.
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