Abebe, Mulugeta(PhD)Mohammed, Miftah2018-08-152023-11-182018-08-152023-11-182014-06http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/12345678/11720Climate change is one of the greatest challenges that the world is facing today. Climate change has become world top 10 challenges which pose a risk to livelihood security. The risk is higher in countries and regions where the dependence on natural resources is high and the adaptive capacity to climatic changes is low. Afar is such a region. The majority of the region 's population's sources of income, employment and food depend on pastoralism and agriculture. With the repeated incidence of drought, it becomes important to understand the impacts of climate change on pastoral livelihoods. The research into climate change effect on livelihood is still in an early stage of development and little work has been done in the area particularly as this related to the case of climate change effect on the pastOf'alist community in Ethiopia. Building on a case study of pastoralists in Awash wereda, this thesis explores and analyzes how the interaction of climate change effect with non climatic stressors contribute to vulnerability of livelihoods. To address the objective of the research qualitative research method is used. The framework of Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA) is used. Thus P RA tools such as transect walk, observation, together with interview and focus group discussion techniques of qualitative data collection are employed to generate the data. Key underlying drivers of vulnerability in Awash wereda emanate}i'om climatic and non climatic factors. These are environmental degradation; encroachment of land by Prosopis, population pressures; resource scarcity induced conflicts; inadequate non pastoral, non farming opportunities; poor access to in}i'astructure; resources and services; weakening role of traditional institutions. The pastoralists have been responding to these changes using different coping mechanisms. They are using traditional adaptation mechanisms of mobility, social safety net and herd splilting. But this has become weakening and people have started new mechanisms of coping. These are diversification of sources of income, employment and feeding. The new livelihood strategies such as farming, trading and waged labour are challenged by limitations in skill, knowledge and resource. The efforts underway, the initiatives and changes occurring in pastoralism should therefore be augmented and supported through investment and knowledge transfer. Interventions shouldfocus in addressing the underlying drivers of vulnerability of livelihood to be successfulenClimate change, Afar, pastoralism, livelihood, vulnerability, coping mechanism, diversification.Thesis