Drought impact on Agriculture and Copping Mechanisms: The of Case of Ginir Woreda, East Bale Zone, Oromiya Region, South Eastern Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is one of the sub-Sahara African countries highly prone to different hazards. Like famine, flood and drought. However, drought has remained the leading cause of disaster and human suffering in Ethiopia in terms of frequency, area coverage and the number of people affected. This study uses to assess drought impact agriculture and coping mechanisms: the case of Ginir Woreda, East Bale Zone, Oromiya Region, South Eastern Ethiopia. The sample size household selects from three agro-ecologies (highland, mid-land and Low-land) totally 352 household for this research. During these research data collection instrument used were Household survey questionnaires, focus group discussion (FGD), Key informant interviews (KII) and field observation. The study was adopted mixed research method that combined qualitative and quantitative approaches. The study was used both primary and secondary sources of data. Simple random sampling technique was used for selecting samples from the population. Finally, the collected data was analyzed using SPSS version 20 and presented using descriptive statistical methods such as frequencies, percentages, Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) to assess drought characteristics. The result shows that the SPI values, indicating alternating wet and dry periods over the years. From the late 1990s to the early 2000s, there are pronounced negative SPI values (below zero), signaling significant drought periods. The SPI values also depict cycles of recovery, particularly in the early 2010s, where wet conditions are observed. The most severe droughts appear around 1998-2000 and 2015-2016, where the SPI values are at their lowest, especially for the shorter time frames (2-month and 3 month). The impact of drought reveals the significant challenges particularly in terms of rangeland depletion, livestock productivity, and food security. The cumulative effects of these factors suggest that without targeted interventions to build resilience, pastoralist communities will continue to face significant vulnerability to climate variability. migration with livestock remains the most highly accepted coping mechanism among the pastoralists, followed by income/asset savings and the use of credit. Traditional strategies like reducing livestock numbers and searching for labor jobs also play significant roles in drought management. However, strategies like reducing food consumption, while moderately accepted, highlight the community's vulnerability to food insecurity.2