## 2 Materials and Methods
### Data Source and Type
#### 2.2.2 Primary Data Collection  
The study employed purposive and random sampling in a multi-stage process to select Sawena district from six pastoralist districts in the Eastern Bale Zone. Sawena, covering 8263 square kilometers, comprises 25% of the zone's pastoralist land, making it the largest district by area. It also accounts for 14% of the pastoralist population, ranking third in population size within the zone [39]. This makes it an ideal location for conducting the study.  
In the first stage, six out of the 29 administrative kebeles within the district were selected randomly, considering factors such as altitude, climate, and population density. This selection ensures a representative sample of the district's socioeconomic and environmental diversity, providing a more comprehensive basis for analysis. The selected kebeles are Arda Gelma, Ariele, Burka Daro, Boditi, Dolicha, and Micha.  
In the second stage, households were chosen from each kebele using simple random sampling from the housing registry at kebele administration offices, and the number of selected households was determined proportionally to their total household size, as is shown in Table 1.  
The Sawena district had a total population of around 98,902 people and 20,605 households. The sample size was calculated using [PERSON]'s [42] equation. When the population is finite, the equation may be used to calculate the sample size. The equation is clarified in the following way:  
\[n=\frac{x^{2}\cdot p\cdot q\cdot N}{e^{2}(N-1)+x^{2}\cdot p\cdot q} \tag{1}\]  
where  
\(Z\): is the value of the standard variant at a 95% confidence interval (\(Z=1.96\));  
\(p\): is the estimated proportion of an attribute that is present in the population (p = 0.5);  
\(q\): is the estimated proportion of an attribute that is not present in the population (q = 0.5);  
\(e\): is the margin of error considered, which is 5% for this study;  
\(N\): is the size of the population, in the chosen six kebeles Arda Gelma, Arele, Boditi, Burka Daro, Dolicha, and Micha, with a total household population of 3871 (Table 1). Thus  
\[n=\frac{(1.96)^{2}(0.5)(0.5)(3871)}{(0.05)^{2}(3871-1)+(1.96)^{2}(0.5)(0.5)}=350\]  
Using the calculation, the total household sample size for respondents was 350 households. The household sample respondents at the kebele (i.e., sub-district) level were chosen proportionately depending on the household size. i.e.,  
\[\begin{split}\text{Number of sample households in kebele}=\\ \text{Total sample size}\times\text{Total households in kebele}\text{/Total households in 6 kebeles}\end{split} \tag{2}\]  
The primary unit of this study was the household, with the head of the family serving as the main unit of observation. Here, \"household\" is defined as a domestic unit of individuals living together, sharing common spaces, resources, and responsibilities within a single dwelling [43]. The sample frame was established using a list of households recorded by the kebele administration.  
A questionnaire was administered through individual interviews with the heads of selected households from February 2021 to April 2021. The data collected included demographic information, the perceptions of the household regarding climate change, the adoption strategies they employed, and the determinants influencing these strategies in the area.