Vulnerability of smallholder farmers to climate change in the central rift valley of Ethiopia: a gender disaggregated approach

Abstract

In Ethiopia agriculture is the dominant sector and a large majority of the population make their living out of it. It is dominated by smallholder production under rain-fed system.Climate change is projected to be a major threat for the sector resulting in variability in smallholder farmers’ productivity and income. The impact of climate change is expected to vary greatly among regions, sectors and social groups and communities. It is also expected to vary between gender groups. Therefore, this study will try to address gender differentiated vulnerabilities to climate change in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia where moisture stress is relevant. Field data was collected from 290 randomly selected farm households in the representative districts of Adama and Adamitulu-Jidokombolcha. We adopted Vulnerability as expected poverty (VEP)approach was where an individual’s vulnerability is the prospect of a smallholder household considering poor and non-poor scenarios. Results of the analysis indicated that men and women headed households vary interms of their vulnerability to climate change infavor of the latter. It was also found out that the two gender categories vary in terms of the different socio-economic characteristics to face the threat of climate change. Therefore, emphasis is required to reduce vulnerability through gender disaggregated interventions and policy makers need ensure that development policies include gender oriented adaptation options to create resilience to the impacts of climate change.