TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: THE CASE OF CLIMATE ADAPTATION POLICY PRACTICES IN ETHIOPIA A DYNAMIC PERFORMANCE GOVERNANCE APPROACH

Although Least Developed Countries (LDCs) have tiny contributions to GHG emissions, countries like Ethiopia remain acutely vulnerable to climate-induced shocks. Ethiopia, in response, introduced the Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) Strategy in 2011, followed by successive implementation frameworks to strengthen adaptation and resilience capabilities. However, the pace and magnitude of adaptation efforts have remained insufficient to offset escalating climate and ecological risks, particularly in impoverished localities where impacts are disproportionately severe. Moreover, the persistence of a siloed approach and neglect of local realities continue to impede progress and undermine opportunities for generating co-benefits. This study applies the DPG framework with mixed analysis embedded in the DPG-based feedback learning-oriented approach to evaluate the effectiveness of adaptation measures and governance mechanisms in Ethiopia. DPG enables systemic analysis of the underlying problem by elucidating the feedback loops and interdependencies that shape performance outcomes. It also promotes collaborative platforms as vehicles for shared learning, decision-making, and policy coherence among stakeholders across boundaries. The study reveals that households adopting multiple adaptation practices experienced moderate increases in agricultural yields and income diversification. Yet, these improvements were offset by recurrent droughts and rainfall variability, exposing the fragility of local adaptive capacity. However, households integrating diverse adaptation practices experienced improved food security and resilience compared to those applying isolated measures. The findings show trade-offs in labor dynamics, indicating that adaptation requires skilled labor, which may displace unskilled labor and exacerbate inequality, underscoring the need for targeted intervention for the unskilled through skill development. The study identifies collaborative governance platforms as essential vehicles for overcoming systemic barriers to policy framing, investment, capacity-building, and monitoring and learning. The findings suggest the need for developing outcome-based performance frameworks for local governance, integrating adaptation policies into local plans, and aligning initiatives with SDGs and Paris Agreement. Furthermore, findings emphasize the importance of broader community engagement in the planning, monitoring, and evaluation cycles, alongside efforts to ensure scalability, sustainability, and ownership. Overall, the research concludes that when properly framed within systems-based governance model, adaptation can deliver enduring development outcomes in climate-vulnerable regions, thereby advancing Ethiopia’s transition toward a resilient and sustainable future.