Trends of climate variability and its association with farmers’ perceptions of climate change in Gassera district, southeastern Ethiopia

Climate change and variability have threatened rain-fed subsistence agriculture by affecting the livelihoods of rural communities in Ethiopia. The Gassera district is among the high-potential crop production areas and is severely affected by recurrent drought resulting from climate change. This study examined trends in climatic variability, farmers' perceptions, and the determinants of climate change in the Gassera district, southeastern Ethiopia. A cross-sectional survey design was employed to select agroecologies and collect data from 444 farm households via multistage random sampling. Linear regression, the chi-square test, and rainfall anomalies were used for the data analysis. The results revealed significant (Ρ = 0.00) increasing trends in annual temperature, a decrease in annual rainfall of 2.92 mm/year, and severe rainfall variability for the Belg season. Most of the interviewed farmers reported increases in temperature, erratic rainfall, and drought frequency of 96.24%, 86.47%, and 89.73%, respectively. The study concludes that climate change variability is described by long-term average increases in temperature, erratic rainfall, and the occurrence of drought. This research also concluded that farmers' perceptions matched well with records of increases in temperature, erratic rainfall, and drought frequency. The results also revealed gender, education, and agroecological settings were the determinant factors related to farmers' perceptions of climate variability.