Determinants of Climate Change Adaptation Strategies among Smallholder Farmers in Haramaya District, Ethiopia: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

In Ethiopia, particularly in the Haramaya District, the livelihoods of people are heavily dependent on subsistence rain-fed farming, making them highly vulnerable to climate change. The key to enhancing the resilience of smallholder farmers lays in successful adaptation to changing climate conditions. This study explores the adaptation strategies of smallholder farmers in Haramaya District, Oromia National Regional State, Ethiopia which is severely affected by climate change, using both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected through household surveys from 189 randomly selected smallholder farmers, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), while secondary data was drawn from previous research and office reports. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a multinomial probit model. Smallholder farmers in the study area adopted various climate change adaptation strategies, with changing livestock type being the most common (22.75%) and changing the planting period the least common (16.40%). Other strategies include soil and water conservation (22.22%), income diversification (20.63%), and growing drought-tolerant crops (17.99%). Furthermore, the multinomial probit model result showed that age, access to climate information, livestock holdings, irrigation access, education level, extension visits, active labor size, and access to credit significantly affect farmers’ adaptation choices in response to climate change in the study area. The findings highlight the need for regional governments and NGOs to support farmers by improving access to credit, raising awareness of climate change adaptation strategies, providing extension services, enhancing education, and investing in long-term climate mitigation projects to improve farmers' adaptive capacities.

Keywords: Adaptation strategies, Climate change, Haramaya district, Multinomial probit model, Smallholder farmers

DOI: 10.7176/DCS/16-1-02

Publication date: February 28^th 2026