The Impact of Climate Change and Adoption of Strategic Coping Mechanism by Agro-pastoralists in Gabiley Region, Somaliland

Climate change is an environmental, social and economic challenge on a global scale (Mendelssohn et al., 2006). Climate change can be exacerbated by anthropogenic factors (human induced actions) such as unsustainable use of land, broad scale deforestation, major technological and socio-economic shifts with reduced reliance on organic fuel, and the accelerated uptake of fossil fuels, among others (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005).

Despite worldwide coverage of climate change impact, there is inter and intra-sectoral variation in vulnerability depending on location, adaptive capacity and other socioeconomic and environmental factors. In Africa, a continent that has contributed the least to the factors that lead to accelerated climate, its impact is believed to have been enhanced. This has been attributed to the continent’s low adaptive capacity, overdependence on agricultural sector, marginal climate and existence of many other stressors (Collier et al. 2008). The negative consequences of climate change in Africa are already affecting the communities living across the width and breadth of the continent. Frequent flooding, recurring droughts, extreme weather conditions, and shift in marginal agricultural systems are few of its apparent impacts.

In Somaliland, adverse impacts of climate change include recurrent droughts, increased biodiversity loss, species migration and encroachment of invasive plants, increased rural urban migration, changes in the vegetation types, soil fertility loss, and increased infestation of crop by pests and diseases and increased health risks. Rain-fed farming has progressively been in practice in the study area for over a century now. Intensification in agriculture, both horticultural and rain-dependant farms has however been on the rise in the past two decades as a result of prevailing stability in Somaliland. This is mainly due to the fact that pure pastoralism has been losing its significance in the wake of land use changes induced by climate change for dual production. Therefore, the predominantly livestock based production system has gradually been shifting into a mixed livestock-crop production system.

In fact, this change in land use for dual production purpose is a strategy developed in order to adapt with the change in climate and moreover to look for alternative livelihoods which can sustain incomes. The main reason for the change in livelihoods is frequent occurrence of recurrent drought that has jeopardized the sustainability of cattle dominated livestock production system. Though subsistence rain fed agricultural production is the dominant system in most parts of Gabiley region, there are also significant small scale irrigated agricultural production most of them located in Arabsiyo district. This irrigation system is mainly used for growing cash crops such as tomatoes, lettuce, pepper, papaya, mango, oranges etc.