Transcript Rural Households and Drought in the Sahel Region of West Africa

RURAL HOUSEHOLDS AND DROUGHT IN THE SAHEL
REGION OF WEST AFRICA: VULNERABILITY AND
EFFECTIVE MITIGATION MEASURES.
An AIACC Funded Project
(AF 92)
Principal Investigator
Dr. A. A. Adepetu, CERHR, University of Jos, Nigeria
Mali Country Coordinator
Dr. Abou Berthe, Institut d’Economie Rurale, Mali
Centre for Environmental Resources and
Hazards Research, University of Jos, Nigeria
Institut d”Economie Rural
C/o Ministere du Developpement Rural, Mali
THE SAHEL
•A transition between the
southern margin of the
Sahara desert and the
savanna regions to the
south.
•A bio-climatic zone of
mainly annual grasses with
a few shrubs and trees, that
receives a mean annual
rainfall of between 150 and
600mm
•A steep gradient of
decreasing rainfall from
south to north, with an
increase in inter-annual and
spatial variability.
•A zone of cultural transition where the Islamic
culture from the north mingles with the
traditional cultures of the south.
• North-south stratification of social systems,
northerly cultures tend towards pastoralism,
southerly cultures largely practice sedentary
agriculture.
Study Problem
•During the past century, several severe droughts have occurred
Causing untold human suffering, weakened the ecological
equilibrium, with disastrous effects on the livelihood of the people.
• The IPCC TAR notes a likely increase in continental drying and
drought risk in some areas.
• How people perceive droughts as well as their resource capability
will obviously affect their vulnerability and adaptive strategies.
• Quantitative assessment of the adaptive capacity and vulnerability
of various livelihood groups to past and present drought disasters
will form a basis for, and contribute to understanding future V & A
to drought hazards in the Sahel.
Aim of Study
To identify vulnerable livelihood groups and determine the
factors that shape their vulnerability and adaptive capacities in
the face of climate change.
Focus of Study
Selected Rural Communities in Nigeria and Mali.
Places can only be ascribed a vulnerability ranking
in the context of the people who occupy them
Why Sustainable Livelihood?
 Adopting a sustainable livelihoods perspective on drought
vulnerability results in a fundamental shift in focus away from
the resource itself to people, the impact of drought on their
livelihood strategies, and resource conditions.
 Will ensure that projects tackling drought mitigation and
adaptation become problem-led rather than ‘discipline-led’.
 Will lead to a greater understanding of the multiple
dimensions of drought vulnerability. Vulnerability is explicitly a
social phenomenon related to a human value system.
Research Questions
•Who are the most vulnerable groups and what shapes their
vulnerability in the face of climate variability and change?
•What shapes the exposure to and ability of certain groups to rebound
from drought hazards?
•What are the similarities and differences between present day
vulnerability and adaptation and future vulnerability and adaptation
to drought impacts?
•How does institutional capacity influence the capacity of the
affected individuals and households to cope with/adapt to droughts
and reduce vulnerability?
•Will adaptive capacities change in the future? If so, how?
Research Objectives
• Collect relevant baseline data from selected drought prone
communities in Nigeria and Mali to identify the conditions that
make certain groups in the Sahel particularly vulnerable.
• Use the data to develop empirical models of present & future
vulnerabilities and adaptation to droughts in the Sahel region
of West Africa.
• Identify gender differences in opportunities for and obstacles
to adaptation among different groups that are at risk in the
Sahel.
• Provide a multi-disciplinary baseline database where change,
adaptive strategies, and environmental processes can be
monitored.
Research Methodology
•To achieve our objectives, we propose the use of a methodology
that derives from a vulnerability/risk framework, after Downing
(1992).
• It focuses on current vulnerability, risk of present and future
climatic variations, and responses to reduce present vulnerability
and improve resiliency to future risks.
• In line with the framework adopted by Jones (2001), interactions
between stakeholders and researchers are an integral part of the
methodology – PRAs, Discussions/workshops.
Capacity Building
IPCC
AIACC
Adaptation
Strategies
Risk
Assessment
Selection of
Study Sites
Non Climatic
Variables
Stakeholders
Coping
Threshold
Project Framework
Key Climatic
Variables
Scenarios
Vulnerability
Model
Sensitivity
Analysis
Project Output
• Reports – Quarterly and Annual
• Peer-Reviewed Publications
• Collation of Relevant Literature
• Production of Digital Database
• Development of Interactive Vulnerability Map
• Training of Graduate Students on Climate Change Impacts
• Community Enlightenment through Workshops and Effective
Dissemination of Research Results
• Input for Developing National Communications and Policy
Where we are
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Project Development
Policy/Literature Review
Reconnaissance Survey
Stakeholder Identification
Selection of Study communities
GIS Development
Capacity Building