Effects of landslide hazards on the livelihood strategies of rural households in Gamo Highlands, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract Landslides are among the current prominent natural hazards affecting rural households’ livelihood strategies in most districts of the Gamo Highlands. This study investigates the effect of landslide hazards on rural household-level livelihood strategies in the Gacho Baba district, Gamo Highlands, southern Ethiopia. The concurrent embedded mixed-methods research design was employed to collect and analyze data from a statistically determined sample of 289 households, community leaders, and disaster experts. At the same time, survey questionnaires, interviews, and field observations became data collection tools. Multistage sampling techniques were used to select the study area and sample population. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the study outcomes. The survey showed that farmers in the study area were practicing four livelihood strategies: on-farm only, on-farm plus off-farm, on-farm plus non-farm, and on-farm plus off-farm plus non-farm. 56% of the sampled households were engaged in on-farm activity only. As to the ANOVA (F-test) result, there is no mean difference between sample villages in livelihood strategies diversification. The result of multinomial logistic regression indicated that total livestock size, age of household head, family size, educational status of household head, agricultural land size, market distance, total income, access to credit, and saving are the identified determinants of diversifying the livelihood strategies. The households living in landslide-hazard-prone areas have acknowledged 24% place identity, 25% place dependency, 25% place attachment, and 26% the economic reasons for their exposure to the hazard. Besides, all the respondents agreed that the landslide-hazard-caused disaster is a real threat to livelihoods across the areas. Hence, the findings call for the commitment of various stakeholders and policymakers to tackle the adverse effects of landslide hazards on livelihoods and the resultant disasters in the face of changing climates.