Farmers’ Perceptions of Climate Change and Agricultural Adaptation Strategies in Rural Sahel |
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Authors: | Ole Mertz Cheikh Mbow Anette Reenberg Awa Diouf |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Geography and Geology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark;(2) Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, Dakar, Senegal |
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Abstract: | Farmers in the Sahel have always been facing climatic variability at intra- and inter-annual and decadal time scales. While
coping and adaptation strategies have traditionally included crop diversification, mobility, livelihood diversification, and
migration, singling out climate as a direct driver of changes is not so simple. Using focus group interviews and a household
survey, this study analyzes the perceptions of climate change and the strategies for coping and adaptation by sedentary farmers
in the savanna zone of central Senegal. Households are aware of climate variability and identify wind and occasional excess
rainfall as the most destructive climate factors. Households attribute poor livestock health, reduced crop yields and a range
of other problems to climate factors, especially wind. However, when questions on land use and livelihood change are not asked
directly in a climate context, households and groups assign economic, political, and social rather than climate factors as
the main reasons for change. It is concluded that the communities studied have a high awareness of climate issues, but climatic
narratives are likely to influence responses when questions mention climate. Change in land use and livelihood strategies
is driven by adaptation to a range of factors of which climate appears not to be the most important. Implications for policy-making
on agricultural and economic development will be to focus on providing flexible options rather than specific solutions to
uncertain climate. |
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Keywords: | Drivers of change Dryland farming Land use change Livelihood strategies Senegal West Africa |
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