Abstract
Livestock is a critical asset for many rural poor, however, the current climate crisis is affecting livestock farmers. A cross-sectional household survey was conducted in order to assess the farmers’ perceptions of climate change, and its impact on production and adaptation responses. Using a multistage sampling procedure, a total of 142 smallholder livestock farmers were selected from 18 villages across the study area. Descriptive and inferential statistical tools were used and the observed results showed that there has been a perceived drastic decline in rainfall in the area over the last 25 years. Some of the perceived impacts were poor vegetation and limited grazing, scarcity of water resources, decreased livestock growth rate, weight, milk production and reproduction rates. Adaptation responses were limited as the results showed that the only response measures taken amongst the many options available were changing grazing routes, increasing grazing distances, destocking, water harvesting and storage, and increased dependence on social welfare. An examination of farmers’ perceptions of their adopted responses showed that none of the response measures were perceived as significantly effective. The lack of effective response to the climate change crisis is a cause for concern, as the livestock industry is endemic to the region and sustains families and entire communities. Keywords: Drought, Effectiveness, Perception, Risks
Highlights
Climate change has been described as the “long-term change of the earth’s climate including changes in temperature, precipitation, and wind patterns over a period of several decades or longer” (Leiserowitz et al, 2014:6)
The profound impacts of climate change perceived by smallholder livestock farmers in the study area were decreased livestock growth rate, decreased livestock weight, decreased milk production, decreased reproduction rates, increased pest and disease occurrences, increased poor vegetation and limited grazing land, scarcity of water resources, increased livestock deaths, and loss of farm income earnings (Table 1)
Findings from this study revealed that smallholder livestock farmers in the study area perceived decreased livestock growth rates, decreased livestock weight, low milk production, poor reproduction rates, increased pest and disease occurrences, poor vegetation, livestock deaths, and loss of farm income earnings as major impacts of climate change on their production activities
Summary
Climate change has been described as the “long-term change of the earth’s climate including changes in temperature, precipitation, and wind patterns over a period of several decades or longer” (Leiserowitz et al, 2014:6). The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD, 2014) has predicted an increased occurrence of extreme weather events with extensive destruction of agricultural lands. This will have major implications for those whose livelihoods are dependent on farming. Livestock is a critical asset for the rural poor as it fulfils diverse economic, social and threat management functions (Calvosa, Chuluunbaatar & Fara, 2010). Resource-poor households, whose major assets are livestock, could lapse into poverty due to livestock losses (IFAD, 2009) arising from loss of grazing land that could lead to reduction in milk, meat and wool production (Calvosa et al, 2010). Though depicted as an alarming situation for the smallholder category of farmers, it is critical to recognise their individual perception of the changing climate as it could influence their adaptation responses
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