Abstract

In this study, farmers’ perceptions and adaptation options to climate variability and change were assessed in the Bilate watershed of south central Ethiopia. The determinant factors that influence the choice of farmers to climate change and variability adaptation were also investigated. Above 92% of the surveyed farm households perceived variability and change in climatic variables. Based on the data from 270 households, 59% of the households participated in one or the other way of the six major adaptation strategies which most prevailed inside farmers of the watershed. Changing the crop variety, using water harvesting scheme, intensifying irrigation, using cover crop or/and mulching, reducing the number of livestock owned and getting off-farm job are the main adaptation strategies used by the farming households. The results from the binary logistic model further showed that age and educational level of the household head, farm size and the income level of the household are household characteristics that significantly affect the choice of adaptation options, while access to climate information in the form of seasonal forecast and local agro ecology are other factors that determined the selection of adaptation methods by the farming households in the study area. The main constraints to adaptation to climate change in the study area are seen to be knowledge gap in the form of lack of information, shortage of labour and minimal land sizes which are the three most explained constraints to climate change as explained by responding household heads.

Key words: Climate variability and change, perception, binary logistic model.