They also indicated what steps they already had taken or would take under the “problem” situations.Socio-economic and agricultural survey were conducted during 2011-2012, over hundred households were included, the community typically include a large proportion of small holder farmers with poorly equipped , land scare household with low education and economic status with . Household socio-economic survey was conducted to estimate the contribution of different components to the income and the level of diversification both in the components of agriculture. Many of the action mentioned to improve water use efficiency, water scarcity being one of the reasons for the pronounced vulnerability of the Ethiopian agricultural production system, there being extremely low level of water resources management, either in the form of poor watershed management or investment in water infrastructure. This is more true in the Highlands of Ethiopia, the site of this study, home to the majority of Ethiopians dominated by small farm traditional agriculture.
The impacts of change of rain fall regimes were given more importance by the community in group discussions; they think this has been directly affecting local vegetation especially tree growth and reproduction as reflected in reporting impacts like “tree cover with no‘spongy’ soil underneath”, “seeds rarely found in the soil to naturally germinate”, “rain water runoff, erodes soil,remove tree seeds” “fewer seedlings in and around forest” and “no natural regeneration of trees”. Field observation and discussions indicated that in the past there was wide natural regeneration in and around forests and also people used to collect seedlings from the forests/forest edges for planting in their homes and crop fields, a practice no longer possible they reported because of scarcity of seedlings.Thus, both in nature and in homestead agroforestry tree propagation/regeneration likely to be affected by the climate change impacts, a number of studies also mentioned.It was evident that at the local level, the poor and impoverished rural community operate in the isolated, distant villages with no direct road connection from the village to the Highway and the villagers have to walk long distances to market their products.
Yet, the two approaches adopted in the study—formal questionnaire survey and informal group discussion—both demonstrated the villagers’ high level of awareness about climate change, its impacts and necessity for adaptation. Another recent report also identified about 71% of the rural respondents in Ethiopia agreeing that there have been changes in the climate over the 20 – 30 years, in the amount of rainfall during the main season, delay in the timing, a reduction in the volume of rainfall insufficient for cropping.Livelihood, on the whole, depending on agriculture in the study area which is characterized by mixed farming,cereal production, vegetable/horticulture farming, livestock keeping and trees/shrubs growing being the main components , climate impacts are seen as a major factor by the farmers. Both field and homestead cropping being common, barley, wheat and teff were the main food crops in the past, but now niger seed, linseed, chickpea and field beans and vegetables are also introduced, all these were used both for food and cash earnings . All these field and home gardens are rain-fed, traditional irrigation is practiced in very limited area about one fourth of the fields only for limited period of the year when water is available.
Home garden crops such as enset or false banana, potato, carrot, beet root, cabbage, garlic , shallot, onion, sweet potato and sugar cane are managed by the women,now have a high contribution to the household income . Another important source is domestic animals having a crucial role in the livelihoods of the community providing power for traction and transportation, food,fertilization and cash earning from both the products or live animal sale, though the poor farm households having few and only less valuable sheep and poultry. Also, woody trees and shrubs were reported as important sources of community livelihoods, getting economic and ecological benefits.Common trees being Eucalyptus spp., Justricia schimperiana, Myrica salcifolia, Premna schimperi, Cuperssus lustanica Cuperssuslustanica, Carisa edulis, Juniperus procera, Maesa lanceolat, Dovyalis abyssinica and Celtis Africana.
Thesmall farmers were found to intensify homestead and agroforestry systems to cope with the negative impacts of climate change at the village levels.As indicated in , petty trade,preparations and sales of local alcoholic drinks has been indicated to generated additional income to the community members under economic stress.Handicraft activities such as weaving , pottery and local leather works, traditional articles made by women from selected grass species also contribute to homestead income . The farmers here have adopted different strategies to cope up with the consequences of climate change, the diverse components in their current farming system indicated this. They diversifying crops, barley, wheat and teff being the main cops, while maize and sorghum in patches and in home gardens; enset and other shrubs, pulses , oil crops are now taking more areas in the cropping combinations.