Determinants of smallholder farmers’ adaptation options to climate change in a coffee-based farming system of Southwest Ethiopia

ABSTRACT

The direct and indirect impacts of climate change may jeopardize livelihoods of millions of poor coffee-growing farmers, unless the sector manages to deploy adequate adaptation measures. This study provides valuable insight into smallholder coffee farmers’ adaptation strategies to climate change impacts and factors determining their choices based on a survey of 240 smallholder farmers in Jimma zone, southwest Ethiopia. The assessment indicates that the most common adaptation measures used by the producers include adjustment of planting date, change of the crop type and variety, tree plantation, and mixed farming. Access to weather forecasts and formal extension services, level of education, age of the household head, farm size and income from coffee and agro-ecological setting affect the coffee growers’ decision to adapt to climate change. Enhancing smallholder coffee farmers’ adaptation to climate change requires further efforts from the government to improve farmers’ access to accurate and timely agro-meteorological forecasts, capacity building and technical support for income diversification through improved provision of agricultural extension services.

KEYWORDS:

• Smallholder farmer
• adaptation measure
• coffee production
• Ethiopia

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland for the financial support through the Climate Change Impacts on Ecosystem Services and Food Security in Eastern Africa (CHIESA) project coordinated by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Nairobi, Kenya. We are also grateful to the smallholder farmers of the study area for providing valuable information for this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.

Notes on contributors

Girma Eshetu

Girma Eshetu is a researcher at Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute.

Tino Johansson

Tino Johansson (PhD) is a researcher.

Weyessa Garedew

Weyessa Garedew (PhD) is an Associate professor at Jimma University, Ethiopia.

Tigist Yisahak

Tigist Yisahak is a lecturer at Wolaita Sodo University, Ethiopia.