Determinants of the adaptation mechanisms to the impacts of rangeland degradation: A case of Yabello district, southern Ethiopia
Keywords:
Adaptation mechanisms, Borana, degradation, multivariate probit model, Pastoralists, rangelandAbstract
Over the decades, drought has occurred more frequently than previously documented in southern Ethiopia. Many projections of the causes and impacts of rangeland degradation on the pastoralists’ livelihood have been reported. However, they were arguably too general to understand the magnitude of the impacts of rangeland degradation to suggest possible adaptation mechanisms in the pastoralist region of the country. A better understanding of the existing adaptation mechanisms and factors affecting pastoralists’ choices is crucial for policies and programs that aim at promoting successful rangeland management in Ethiopia. The objective of this study was to assess possible adaptation mechanisms and to identify the factors that affect pastoralists’ choice of adaptation mechanisms in Yabello district, southern Ethiopia. A total of 172 randomly selected households from two kebeles were interviewed using structured questionnaires. Multivariate probit regression and descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. The results showed that pastoralists’ possessed their own adaptation mechanisms to cope up and prevail through the impacts of rangeland degradation. Herd diversification, buying of supplementary feed, destocking and hay making are among the common adaptation mechanisms of the area. Parameter estimates from the multivariate probit model revealed that the choice of adaptation mechanisms among pastoralists of Borana was significantly influenced by sex, age, family size, education livestock holding, access to the weather forecast, access to credit service, and distance from the market center. Therefore, considering all these factors affecting pastoralists’ choice of adaptation mechanisms would help to develop more effective rangeland management. Furthermore, the finding of this research derived entry points for the policies aimed to work with the local communities’ future research to cope-up with the impacts of rangeland degradation.
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