Farmers’ perceptions to climate change and adaptation practices in Dale Wabera district, Western Ethiopia

Climate change poses a substantial threat to the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, particularly in climate-sensitive areas. This study investigated farmers’ perceptions and adaptation practices in the Dale Wabera District. A purposive sampling technique was employed to select representative kebeles, and 301 rural households were drawn using simple random sampling techniques. Historical daily temperature and rainfall data from 1982 to 2025 were obtained from the National Meteorology Institute of Ethiopia and analyzed to detect climatic trends and variability. The results indicate that a large majority of farmers, 280 respondents, perceived a decline in annual rainfall. Consistent with this perception, the Mann–Kendall trend test revealed a non-significant decreasing trend in annual rainfall, with an estimated decline of 0.4232 mm per year during the study period. Despite the absence of statistical significance at the annual scale, a pronounced seasonal redistribution was observed, characterized by a significant decrease in summer rainfall and a corresponding increase in autumn rainfall. In contrast, 297 farmers reported rising temperatures, which is consistent with observed trends showing annual increases of 0.0171 °C in minimum temperature and 0.0659 °C in maximum temperature. Farmers employed a diverse set of adaptation strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate variability and change. A multivariate probit model was used to analyze the determinants of four categories of adaptation measures, incorporating socioeconomic, demographic, institutional, and infrastructural variables. The results demonstrate that gender of the household head, education level, extension contact, access to credit, on- and off-farm income, family size, landholding, farming experience, and access to climate information significantly influence adaptation decisions at 0.05 significance level. Among the adaptation options, the adoption of improved crop varieties, tree planting, and adjustments in planting and harvesting dates emerged as the most widely practiced and effective responses to climate risks. These findings provide important empirical evidence to inform policymakers and development practitioners in designing targeted interventions aimed at strengthening climate resilience and promoting sustainable agricultural livelihoods.