ADAPTIVE STRATEGIES OF PASTORALISTS TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN AYSAITA AND AFAMBO WOREDAS OF AWSA ZONE, AFAR NATIONAL REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA

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.