Assessing household resilience to climate change using resilience index approach in southwest Ethiopia

Climate change significantly affects rain-fed dependent economies, particularly those of smallholder farmers. This study evaluates climate-resilient approaches among smallholder farmers in south-western Ethiopia using a composite climate resilience index (CRI). A mixed-methods approach was used, combining household surveys (n = 381), key informant interviews (KIIs), and focus group discussions (FGDs) in Chora Boter and Limmu Seka districts. Chi-square tests and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to calculate the CRI across five pillars: income and food access, assets, access to basic services, social safety nets, and adaptive capacity. Results showed that 42.3% of households had low resilience, 32.0% moderate resilience, and 25.7% high resilience. Adaptive capacity and asset ownership were the strongest predictors of household resilience. Multiple regression showed that education levels (β = 0.234, p < 0.001); access to climate information (β = 0.212, p < 0.001); landholding size (β = 0.198, p < 0.001); contact with extension officers (β = 0.186, p < 0.001); social networks (β = 0.167, p < 0.001); and credit availability (β = 0.145, p = 0.002) significantly increased resilience ( p < 0.001). Female-headed households were significantly less resilient (β = − 0.134, p = 0.002). Thus, targeted interventions should strengthen adaptive capacity and asset ownership.