Climate Change/Variability, Food Security Status and People’s Adaptation Strategies in Damot Woyde Woreda, Wolayta Zone, Snnpr,Ethiopia
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2014-05
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The main objective of this paper was investigating climate change/variability, food
security status and people’s adaptation strategies in Damot Woyde Woreda. As many as
117 sample households from the two agro-ecological zones of study area were included
in the sample frame. Household survey, focus group discussions and key informant
interviews were held for collecting data. Basic descriptive statistics were used for
assessing quantitative data. Household food balance model (HFBM) and Households
food insecurity access scale (HFIAS) were used to determine food availability and
accessibility of sample households respectively. The results of the study indicated that
56.4% of households are food secured and the remaining 44.6% are food insecured. The
prevalence of food insecurity is more sever in lowland agro-ecology. Food insecured
households are characterized by larger family members, smaller out number of livestock,
smaller land holding, lower fertility status of land and low productivity and production.
Agricultural production varies from one agro-ecological zone to the other due to their
varied climatic conditions. Rain fall amount is by far lower in Kolla agro-ecologiy.
Frequency of drought and severity of land degradation also are higher in lowland agroecological
zone than Dega and average temperature increase in both sample kebeles. The
study examined climatic and other related factors of food production. Farmers reported
that, erratic rain fall in terms of time and space, drought, land degradation, pest and weed
infestation, lack of non-farm activities and lack of access to credits are the more severe
constraints in food production. However the levels of severity of the factors were not the
same in two sample kebeles rather the impacts of these factors are more sever in lowland
kebeles. The study also shows that Decline in atmosphere and surface moisture and
prevalence of disease are also the effect of climate change/variability in the study area.
Kolla kebele is most vulnerable to malaria. Thus, food security interventions need to
support livelihoods in ways that protect resilience of households, and providing direct
assistance to ensure households remain resilient to the weak and variable natural
situations in which they exist
Description
Keywords
Geography and Environmental Studies