| Abstract: | Climate change is rapidly emerging as one of the most serious threats that humanity may ever
face. Although no country is immune from climate change, poor countries which contributed
least to the problem are the most vulnerable and least adaptive to its impacts. In Ethiopia,
global climate change poses particular risks to poor farmers and pastoralists who have an
immediate daily dependence on climate sensitive livelihoods and natural resources. The
limited economic, institutional and logistical capacity to mitigate and adapt to climate change
exacerbates the vulnerability of millions of farmers and herders to climate change. The
impacts range from recurrent drought and loss of biodiversity, range lands and soil nutrients,
to catastrophic floods and declining livestock and food production. Some of the challenges of
this environmental change such as local and regional food insecurity and hunger are still high
on the agenda of Ethiopia’s development goals.
This study was conducted in two woredas of Awsa Zone, Afar National Regional State with
main objectives of identifying the adaptive strategies of pastoralists to the climate change.
The nature of the study required qualitative research, and thus the bulk of the data set is also
qualitative. Limited quantitative data was also required to generate additional information.
15
Data was collected from 12 sample kebeles of the two woredas namely: Aysaita and Afambo,
using focus group discussion, in-depth individual and group interview, participatory
observation survey was also conducted on 40 randomly selected household heads using
structured interview schedule.
In response to the climate change the following adaptive strategies were identified: Pasture
survey and mobility, fuel wood and charcoal selling, destocking through selling,
supplementary feed from seed pods and branches of trees, wage employment and reducing the
frequency and size of meal and eating alternative food, modifying herd structure, resource
sharing, and income diversification.
Therefore, in the Afar regional state in general and Aysaita and Afambo woredas in particular
need to develop integrated / holistic disaster risk reduction and early warning system, focus on
raising awareness, knowledge management and information dissemination, target and
empower women and other vulnerable groups, promote climate friendly development
initiatives, build local capacity to collect, analyze and interpret data and mobilize adequate and stable financial resources. |
