Agroecology Based Farmers’ Vulnerability Analysis to Climate Change in Southern Ethiopia

The majority of agricultural production in a country like Ethiopia depends on rainfall, and climate change mostly affects agricultural activities. However, different agro-ecological zones had varying degrees of susceptibility. Thus, this study's objective was to investigate vulnerability of smallholder farmers in Gedeo and west Guji zones in Southern Ethiopia. The study measured the vulnerability elements in three agro ecological zones using the LVI-IPCC vulnerability index. In this study, both primary and secondary data were used. Along with focus group discussions and key informant interviews, 376 sampled households provided primary data. The finding revealed that different agro ecologies have varied levels of vulnerability to climate change, with lowland agro-ecology being the most at risk (0.01) because of its low adaptive capacity (0.43), high exposure (0.44), and sensitivity (0.61). Because of its strong adaptive ability (0.62), low exposure (0.07), and sensitivity (0.48), Highland Agro ecology was the least susceptible (-0.26). Midland agro-ecological zone was deemed moderately vulnerable with indexed values of 0.52, 0.54, 0.22, and − 0.16 for adaptive capacity, sensitivity, exposure, and overall vulnerability. Based on the result, we suggested that planned changes should take local conditions into account and that resilience building strategies were crucial for reducing the vulnerability of smallholder farmers. It is recommended to advocate for stronger legislative measures in order to improve the community's capacity for adaptation and reduce its exposure to climate change.