Journal of Resources Development and Management www.iiste.org ISSN 2422-8397 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.79, 2021 13 Temperature and Precipitation Trends Using CMIP6 Model Data Using the Different Senarios in Jimma Zone, ONRS of Ethiopia Gemechu Fufa (PhD) 1 Solomo Addisu (PhD, Associate professor) 2 Alemayehu Regassa (PhD, Associate professor) 3 1.Jimma University College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine Department of Natural Resource Management 2.Bahir Dar University, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences 3.Jimma University College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine Department of Natural Resource Management Abstract The Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) dataset is used to examine projected trend in temperature and precipitation over Jimma zone. The changes are computed under three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs; SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP6 and SSP5-8.5) from 1980-2020. This study was undertaken to analyze rainfall and Temperature trend in Jimma zone, ONRS of Ethiopia. The study employed Mann-Kendall’s test to detect change in rainfall trends. Results for rainfall trend analysis for Jimma zone indicated decreasing trends, Overall, the observed trends were not statistically significant at 1% and 5%. Temperature is projected to increase over the entire domain under all three SSPs, by as much as 6 °C under SSP5-8.5, and with more pronounced increased. The mean temperature in the study area ranges from 20’C to 25 ‘C with annual average temperature of 22 ‘C. The rate of change of temperature was found to be 0.0181, 0.3536, 0.2041 and 0.026 ‘C per decade for mean, minimum and maximum respectively during the period of 1980–2020. The results of MK test for monthly precipitation data revealed a statistically significant decreasing trend (at 10% level of significance). attributed to an increase in the minimum temperature. It is, therefore, imperative to adjust the agriculture activity with the variability situation and design planned climate change adaptation strategies so as to enhance the adaptive capacity and resilience of rainfed dependent smallholder farmers Keywords: Climate change, CMIP6, Temperature, Precipitation DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/79-02 Publication date:October 31 st 2021 1. Introduction 1.1. Background Climate change is one of the greatest challenges faced by humankind as it poses an existential threat to many aspects of the current social–ecological landscape of natural and human systems (Almazroui et al., 2021). Since 1950, a decrease in the amount of snow, a heating ocean, and rising sea levels have been noticed as results of climate system warming. The climate system has been influenced by human-induced forces activities for centuries. However, the impact of human activities started to extend to a global scale since the start of the industrial revolution (Birara & Mishra, 2020) Scientists have reached a consensus that the global annual average temperature is likely to be 2 ◦C above pre-industrial levels by 2050, and a 2 ◦C warmer world will experience more intense rainfall and more frequent and more intense droughts, floods, heat waves, and other extreme weather events (Feyissa et al., 2018). Africa, the second most populous continent in the world, is one of the region’s most vulnerable to climate change due to its high exposure and low adaptive capacity (Almazroui et al., 2020a). Africa, the second-largest Continent on earth and with the fastest population growth, along with an economy reliant on rain-fed agriculture, is among the places most sensitive to climate variability and change. Changes in variability, extremes, and mean of temperature and rainfall make themselves felt in day-to-day life through heat stress, floods, droughts, and other impacts on both human society and natural ecosystems in Africa (Almazroui et al., 2020b). The IPCC (2013) report indicated that Ethiopia will be more vulnerable to climate change due to its less flexible economic structure and its dependence on rain-fed agriculture. Changes in seasonal patterns and precipitation distribution, timing, and pattern, as well as temperature, are already being witnessed in most parts of the country. In many parts of the country, precipitation is becoming more unpredictable every season and every year. Temperature and precipitation variables are the most important measures that indicate changes in climate. Climate variability and change are among the greatest developmental challenges of the 21st century (Miheretu, 2020). Climate change will have far-reaching consequences for agriculture that will disproportionately affect poor and marginalized groups who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods and have a lower capacity to adapt. The agriculture system in Ethiopia is dominated by rain fed agriculture, where the performance of the sector is highly dependent on the timely onset, duration, amount and distribution of rainfall (Gebrechorkos et al., 2019).