Agricultural livelihoods, adaptation, and environmental migration in sub-Saharan drylands: a meta-analytical review
Drylands in sub-Saharan Africa are strongly affected by the impacts of climate change. Temperature increases, changes in rainfall patterns, and land degradation pose serious threats to food security, health, and water availability in the region. The increase in livelihood insecurity can in turn trig...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac7d65 |
| _version_ | 1797747362804793344 |
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| author | Roman Hoffmann Charlotte Wiederkehr Anna Dimitrova Kathleen Hermans |
| author_facet | Roman Hoffmann Charlotte Wiederkehr Anna Dimitrova Kathleen Hermans |
| author_sort | Roman Hoffmann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Drylands in sub-Saharan Africa are strongly affected by the impacts of climate change. Temperature increases, changes in rainfall patterns, and land degradation pose serious threats to food security, health, and water availability in the region. The increase in livelihood insecurity can in turn trigger migration as a way to adapt or cope with stress. Based on 89 original case studies, this study uses review and meta-analytical techniques to systematically explore the relationship between environmental change, adaptation, and migration in rural areas in sub-Saharan drylands. We show that households use a diverse range of strategies to respond to environmental hardships in different livelihood and ecological contexts. While migration is common in some communities, it is of less relevance to others, and it can take various forms. Our findings indicate that migration is often used as a complementary strategy to other forms of adaptation, which can vary depending on situational needs. We use cluster analysis to identify adaptation clusters and show how linked response strategies differ by socioeconomic conditions. We find that migration can serve as a last resort measure for highly vulnerable groups, or be used in combination with in-situ strategies for diversifying income and adapting agricultural practices. Our results have important implications highlighting the role of local conditions and complementary forms of coping and adaptation for understanding environmental migration. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:49:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2a8161599aac4c26bc2825fe0c449bb6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:49:38Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-2a8161599aac4c26bc2825fe0c449bb62023-08-09T15:14:17ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262022-01-0117808300310.1088/1748-9326/ac7d65Agricultural livelihoods, adaptation, and environmental migration in sub-Saharan drylands: a meta-analytical reviewRoman Hoffmann0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3512-1737Charlotte Wiederkehr1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3624-4061Anna Dimitrova2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2715-9276Kathleen Hermans3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8475-9019International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital (IIASA, OeAW, University of Vienna) , Laxenburg, Austria; Vienna Institute of Demography (OeAW), Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital (IIASA, OeAW, University of Vienna) , Vienna, Austria; Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) , Potsdam, GermanyComputational Landscape Ecology Department, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) , Leipzig, GermanyDepartment of Climate, Atmospheric Science, and Physical Oceanography at the University of California , San Diego, CA, United States of AmericaComputational Landscape Ecology Department, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) , Leipzig, Germany; Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO) , Halle, GermanyDrylands in sub-Saharan Africa are strongly affected by the impacts of climate change. Temperature increases, changes in rainfall patterns, and land degradation pose serious threats to food security, health, and water availability in the region. The increase in livelihood insecurity can in turn trigger migration as a way to adapt or cope with stress. Based on 89 original case studies, this study uses review and meta-analytical techniques to systematically explore the relationship between environmental change, adaptation, and migration in rural areas in sub-Saharan drylands. We show that households use a diverse range of strategies to respond to environmental hardships in different livelihood and ecological contexts. While migration is common in some communities, it is of less relevance to others, and it can take various forms. Our findings indicate that migration is often used as a complementary strategy to other forms of adaptation, which can vary depending on situational needs. We use cluster analysis to identify adaptation clusters and show how linked response strategies differ by socioeconomic conditions. We find that migration can serve as a last resort measure for highly vulnerable groups, or be used in combination with in-situ strategies for diversifying income and adapting agricultural practices. Our results have important implications highlighting the role of local conditions and complementary forms of coping and adaptation for understanding environmental migration.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac7d65climate changemigrationadaptationdrylandssub-Saharan Africasystematic review |
| spellingShingle | Roman Hoffmann Charlotte Wiederkehr Anna Dimitrova Kathleen Hermans Agricultural livelihoods, adaptation, and environmental migration in sub-Saharan drylands: a meta-analytical review Environmental Research Letters climate change migration adaptation drylands sub-Saharan Africa systematic review |
| title | Agricultural livelihoods, adaptation, and environmental migration in sub-Saharan drylands: a meta-analytical review |
| title_full | Agricultural livelihoods, adaptation, and environmental migration in sub-Saharan drylands: a meta-analytical review |
| title_fullStr | Agricultural livelihoods, adaptation, and environmental migration in sub-Saharan drylands: a meta-analytical review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Agricultural livelihoods, adaptation, and environmental migration in sub-Saharan drylands: a meta-analytical review |
| title_short | Agricultural livelihoods, adaptation, and environmental migration in sub-Saharan drylands: a meta-analytical review |
| title_sort | agricultural livelihoods adaptation and environmental migration in sub saharan drylands a meta analytical review |
| topic | climate change migration adaptation drylands sub-Saharan Africa systematic review |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac7d65 |
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