Perceptions of Climate Change and Determinants of Adaptation Decisions of Smallholder Maize (Zea mays L.) Farmers in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia.

Abstract

Climatic calamities are posing serious challenges to smallholder maize (Zea mays L.) farmers in Ethiopia. Adapting to climate change is mostly location-specific, and its effectiveness depends on local institutions and socioeconomic settings. This study was conducted to elucidate maize farmers’ perceptions of climate change; to investigate its impacts; to identify local adaptation strategies practiced by maize farmers and the factors that determine farmers’ choice of adaptation decisions in Tigray, northern Ethiopia. Primary data were collected from samples of 250 maize farmers using household questionnaires. Descriptive statistics (to analyze the data on socio-economic characteristics and perceptions), and a multinomial logit model (to estimate the factors that influence farmers’ adaptation decisions) were utilized. Majority (91.2%) of the farmers have perceived climate change and the main indicators of climate change were erratic ( low) rainfall ( 88.4% ), rising temperatures ( 83.2% ), and increased frequency of drought (79.2%). Decreasing soil fertility (83%) and decreasing crop yields (78%) are the major impacts due to climate change. Hence , 92.8% of the farmers have made adaptation attempts mainly by using crop-livestock integration (24%) and use of improved maize varieties (20.8%). The econometric analysis indicated that age, gender, education , farm size, livestock ownership, lack of access to credit services and poor economic status were the key determinants that influenced the farmers’ choice of adaptation decisions. Supporting the maize farmers’ indigenous adaptation strategies with a wide range of institutional, policy, and technology at both the farmer and the farm level is crucial.