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Climate change and variability significantly affects rural livelihoods in rain-fed agricultural regions like Ethiopia, highlighting the need for localized research to enhance evidence-based decision-making. This study evaluated livelihood vulnerability to climate-related risks in various livelihood zones, Ebenat District in northwestern Ethiopia. Daily rainfall and temperature data from the Ethiopian Meteorology Institute (1992–2021) were analyzed using a modified Mann-Kendall trend test to assess season duration, rainfall anomalies, and temperature trends, providing insights into climate risks across livelihood zones. A mixed-methods design was employed to analyze data from 382 farm households, using the Composite Livelihood Index (CLI) and the Livelihood Vulnerability Index based on IPCC frameworks (LVI-IPCC). The results show that the Tekeze lowland livelihood zone faces the highest frequency of droughts and a short growing season of 98 days. Temperatures are rising in these zones, with significant increases of 0.011 and 0.035 °C/ year at P < 0.05 for maximum and minimum temperatures in Tekeze lowland, indicating its high exposure. The findings identified varying levels of vulnerability across the studied zones. The Tekeze lowland was found to be the most vulnerable (0.61), characterized by high exposure (0.67) to extreme climate events such as drought and flooding, as well as significant seasonal variability. Sensitivity (0.52) in this region is driven by challenges related to water, health, and food security, while adaptive capacity remains moderate (0.47), constrained by low crop diversification and limited access to agricultural technology. In contrast, the Tana Zuria zone exhibited moderate vulnerability (0.46) and a higher adaptive capacity (0.53), whereas the northeastern zone showed high vulnerability (0.51) linked to seasonal and intra-seasonal climate variability. To address these challenges, targeted interventions are essential to enhance adaptive capacities through improved agricultural technologies and climate information access, while engaging vulnerable groups in awareness initiatives. Future research should further explore factors influencing adaptive strategies within these communities.
Tegegn et al. (2025) studied this question.