Vulnerability and Responses of Rural Households to Climate Variability: Agro-Climatic-Based Evidence from Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Like most of the sub-Saharan African countries, Ethiopia's economy is heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture, which is extremely vulnerable to climate-related stresses. The exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of rural farm households' livelihoods to climate-induced stresses vary across agro-climatic zones, posing a challenge to climate-resilient development strategies. Accordingly, the objective of this study is to analyze the agro-climatic zone-specific vulnerability and responses of rural farm households to climate-induced shocks in the Damot Woyde District of southern Ethiopia. Using a multistage sampling technique, 346 rural farm household heads from two agro-climatic zones participated in the survey. Six focus group discussions, 27 key informant interviews, and personal observations were conducted to supplement survey data. The livelihood vulnerability index was used to assess the level of vulnerability of rural farm households to climate-related stresses. The findings reveal significant differences across agro-climatic zones in major components, indicators, and the three contributing factors to livelihood vulnerability (exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity). Specifically, higher exposure to low adaptive capacity result in high vulnerability in the Kolla agro-climate zone whereas lower exposure with relatively higher adaptive capacity result in lower vulnerability in the Woina Dega agro-climate zone. Farmers adopt a variety of coping techniques to mitigate the negative consequences of climatic extremes, yet some of the response mechanisms, such as selling off livestock and productive assets, cause long-term problems for their livelihoods. These findings imply that developing agro-climate-based resilience-building adaptation strategies is critical for reducing farm households' vulnerability to climate-induced shocks.