EFFECT OF CLIMATE VARIABILITY ON DAIRY PRODUCTION AND ADAPTATION STRATEGIES AMONG PASTORALISTS IN GABILEY DISTRICT, SOMALILAND

Climate variability is causing the greatest environmental, social and economic threats to all of humanity and across borders in many nations. The purpose of this study was to analyse long term climate variability and explore effects of climate variability on dairy production and identify the existing adaptation strategies in Gabiley district, Somaliland. To achieve the objective appropriate data was collected from 119 household heads from three sample villages, which were selected through random sampling method based on their pastoralist status. Household survey questionnaire, focus group discussions and key informant interviews with pastoralists were used to capture various aspects of climate variability. Coefficient of variability (CV) and precipitation concentration index derived from long term data obtained from the Somaliland National Meteorological Agency were used to describe different features of rainfall and temperature between 1984 and 2018. Results revealed that extreme rainfall and temperature variability events. The long-term of mean annualrainfall was 479.3 and 1310.4 mm with a mean of 864.4 mm with SD of 23.8 to 67.1, mm and a CV of 51.2 to 86.0 %. Rainfall totals were decreasing over the past three decades, trend respectively both the seasonal and annual. The SAI results for the mean annual temperature depicted a persistent cooling period that started in 1984 and continued, with few respites, until 2005, and after then a persistent warming period, with strong positive departures until 2018. the main source of income in the study area is livestock production, which is being adversely affected by unpredictable and decreasing rainfall and high temperature. In order to adapt with rainfall anomalies, households practiced a variety of adaptation options. In addition to the traditional short-term adaptation mechanisms, 43.7% of the respondents used decreasing the number of livestock, seasonal migration of dairy cattle, sale of weak and old cattle. Generally, pastoralists in the study area were very vulnerable due to climate induced shocks and low adaptive capacity of the community to climate variability. However, the adaptation strategies are not practiced in full capacity, specifically knowledge and financial gap about the dairy rearing. Therefore, capacity building of farmers of the study area will help to build resilience of dairy production against climate variability