The Impact of Climate Variability on Food Security and Coping Mechanisms of Farmers in Boricha District Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

The rapid growth of greenhouse gas emissions as a result of human activities such as burning fossil fuels is raising the Earth’s temperature and leading to climate change. This results in variability in precipitation, the prevalence of more extreme weather events, and shifting seasons. The accelerating pace of climate change, combined with population growth, will also threaten food security. Climate change will result in irreparable ecological degradation and possibly the reduction of agricultural productivity in many parts of the World with serious consequences for food security. This paper investigated the impacts of climate variability on food security and coping mechanisms of farmers in Boricha district of Ethiopia by using meteorological, agricultural and socio-economic survey data. The study employed various data analysis methods such as computing the coefficient of rainfall variability, estimating the impact of rainfall and temperature change on agricultural productivity, and analyzing coping strategies of the local communities in response to climate extreme events. The coefficient of rainfall variation results show that rainfall variability has significant and negative impacts on agricultural productivity in the Boricha district. Moreover, linear regression model outputs for the relationship between rainfall and crop yields indicate that rainfall variability has been significantly affecting agricultural productivity in the district. Results from the multinomial logistic model for multi-choice coping/adaptation mechanisms also show that different socio- economic factors such as education level and age of household head, family size, farm income and livestock ownership affect how households cope with extreme climate events. This research suggests that policies should introduce adaptation measures outlined by existing rural communities such as inter-cropping, livelihood diversification and early maturing crops to incorporate indigenous knowledge to ensure food security and sustain the economic growth of the country.