Recurrent Occurrences of Climate Change Induced Drought in Ethiopia

Different efforts have been made by policymakers, government, and non-government entities to reduce and mitigate the impact of drought in most rural parts of Ethiopia. Therefore, this review intends to assess and analyze the gaps that need to be addressed in the design and implementation of drought adaptation and mitigation social policies. Thus, by employing systematic review methods, the review process maps the thematic focus of this study through scoping review techniques to identify, collate, and systematically synthesize, discuss, and analyze existing literature. The findings reveal that the continued recurrent occurrence of drought involves a wide range of integrated factors and has significant impacts on the economic, social, and environmental well-being of rural communities. This results in severe vulnerability of rural people to the effects of recurrent drought, which is mainly caused by multiple factors and, in turn, affects nearly 80% of the agricultural-based livelihood systems of rural populations, including crop losses, reduced crop yields, and livestock production. This situation is closely associated with the ineffectiveness of national drought adaptation and mitigation policies and strategies that have been implemented over the last few decades under national social protection schemes. However, the broad nature and interconnectedness of El-Niño-induced drought require coordinated efforts among public and private sectors to ensure the effectiveness of policies at the ground level. Indeed, this review study aims to bring new insights and to offer directive input and recommendations for policymakers, development practitioners, and future researchers in formulating community-driven adaptive strategies and providing evidence to strengthen drought response mechanisms in rural communities.