Analysis of Drought Coping Strategies in Northern Ethiopian Highlands

Abstract

Drought is one of the most damaging climate–induced threats impacting the lives of many people every year. Proactive and reactive drought coping and adapting mechanisms enable farmers to be resilient against climate induced drought and improve the current disaster preparedness and early warning systems in the drylands. The aim of this study was to assess proactive and reactive farmers’ drought adaptation & coping strategies at household level in Raya valley in southern Tigray, Ethiopia. Agro–climatological based 246 households were sampled from the lowlands, midlands and highlands. Multinomial logit model was used to identify best drought coping strategies. Respondents had mild to extremely severe drought in the last three decades. The association between the various drought severity and household heads were significant (chi2= 9.861, df=3, p < 0.05). Pasture collection and saving, soil and water conservation, and weather prediction information to adjust saving and farming system were proactive drought adaptation and coping strategies. Livestock Feeding with roasted cactus cladode, small business loans, livestock selling, productive safety–net programme, and food consumption reduction were the major reactive drought adaptation and coping strategies. The proactive and reactive drought coping and adaptation strategies identified in this study should be used to improve the current disaster preparedness and early warning systems monitoring and evaluation in the face of climate and weather extreme related impacts of climate variability and change.