Abstract

In the view of seasonal climate variabilities, climate is the primary determinant of agricultural productivity. The El-Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the most important coupled ocean atmosphere phenomenon to cause global climate variability on inter-annual time scale. Furthermore, El-Niño and La-Niño would create severe reduction of rainfall and severe drought, leading to reduction of pasture and water availability that cannot support the livestock population, as a result of this phenomenon, the livestock population showed a decreasing trend drought. The El Niño and La Niña phase are marked by a deep layer of warm ocean water and of cooler than average ocean temperatures across the eastern and central equatorial Pacific region respectively. More than half of the El-Niño and La-Nina events coincided with lower rainfall distribution and reducing livestock population and higher mortality and off-take rate of cattle and sheep over the area. Drought following El Niño caused 50 to 90% crop failure, in the eastern parts of Ethiopia.

Keywords: Climate variability; Crop production; El-Niño; La-Niño; Livestock production