Understanding the Climatic and Non-climatic Drivers of Livelihood Vulnerability in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia

Abstract

This study examined both the climatic and non-climatic drivers of livelihood vulnerability in Raya Azebo district, the Tigray region of Ethiopia. The case study draws on a survey of 400 farmers and participatory methods including focus groups, in-depth interviews, historical timeline exercise, and pairwise ranking and scoring methods across four villages. The findings suggest that the drivers of livelihood vulnerability in Raya Azebo district are complex and multidimensional and originate from climate-linked factors (mainly drought) as well as other socio-economic, political, institutional, and policy-related challenges. Declines in crop and animal production, farmers’ loss of income and exposure to food insecurity and malnutrition cases were linked to the frequent occurrence of droughts. Beyond climatic factors, the study found that development policies (e.g., imposed fertilizer adoption, large-scale agricultural investments), a lack of access to climate information, ineffective agricultural extension system, inadequate rural infrastructure and poor agricultural markets have negatively contributed to livelihood vulnerability of small-holder farmers. These findings have important implications for climate adaptation policies in Ethiopia and Africa. They highlight the need to consider wider development challenges in the formulation and implementation of planned adaptation measures to reduce farmers’ vulnerability to climate change and enhance their capacities to respond to future risks.