DETERMINANTS OF FARMERS’ CHOICE OF ADAPTATION STRATEGIES AGAINST EMERGING WHEAT RUST DISEASE: THE CASE OF SINANA AND AGARFA DISTRICTS OF BALE ZONE, OROMIA REGION, ETHIOPIA

The livelihood of the community in the study areas is highly dependent on the production of wheat crop. But the production of wheat crop is challenged by biotic and abiotic factors in the study area. Among the biotic factors rust disease is one and highly affecting the production and productivity of the crop. This study aimed to identify the adaptation strategies against emerging wheat rust disease and determinants of farmers’ choice of adaptation strategies against this disease. For this study, primary and secondary data were used. Smallholder farmers, group discussant and key informants were the source of primary data, while documents and websites were sources of secondary data. Two stages purposive and random sampling procedure was employed to select 136 sample farmers from two districts. In this study three adaptation strategies which are planting disease resistant variety, cultural practices and using fungicide were identified as adaptation strategies against emerging wheat rust disease by wheat producers in the study areas. Out of the total sample households, 53.68%, 75.74% and 37.5% choose resistant variety, fungicide and cultural practices as adaptation strategies against emerging wheat rust disease respectively. Multivariate probit model indicates that education level, land size, off/non-farm income, extension contact, and tenure right were significant factors affecting farmers’ choice to resistant variety as an adaptation strategy, while wheat production experience, education level, distance from market and tenure right determined farmers’ choice to fungicide, also experience in wheat production, family size, land size, extension contact and credit service determined farmers’ choice to cultural practices as an adaptation strategy against emerging wheat rust disease. Thus, the study result indicates that majority of the households are using fungicide as an adaptation strategies against emerging wheat rust disease due to the severity of disease insufficient supply of disease resistant variety and reluctance of farmers to use cultural practices. So to solve this problem, wheat breeders need to screen the germplasm for disease resistant variety and develop new improved disease resistant variety for the wheat belt area. Therefore, enhancing the off/non-farm income, extension contact, tenure security and credit access improves famers’ choice of disease resistant variety and cultural practices as adaptation strategies which are economically and environmentally friendly