Paper short abstract:

This paper examines how farmers respond to extreme temperature by altering land allocation decisons as possible adaptive strategy to mitigate the negative effects of etreme events.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines how farmers respond to extreme temperature in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. We focus on productive adjustments i.e., change in land use, both in terms of total agricultural land and land under wheat, in two sample periods– pre and post support price. We use panel data from 1981 to 2019 to examine the effect of high temperature in the previous year on land allocation decisions. To study this response, we estimated unconditional factor-demand function linking land use with extreme temperature using two sets of log-linear regression model. First set of estimates show how high temperature affect the land use decisions at district-level. Whereas second set of findings consider the four agroecological zones in the province. We find that farmers are responsive to extreme temperature in the previous year at both district and zone level in case of total agriculture land. While land under wheat shows no effect at district level. However, at zone level, farmer do respond to high temperature as coping strategy to attenuate the effect of extreme heat by reducing land allocation when there is low support (pre-support period) for the wheat growers. We find no Significant effect on land use when there is high support for the farmers. This suggests that when farmers are exposed to high temperature coupled with no/limited support, they tend to reduce land allocation as possible adaptive response in agriculture sector. Using our estimates, we show that accounting for land adjustments is important to quantify damages associated with weather shocks if appropriate public polices are adopted.

Paper short abstract:

I will discuss the effect of future climate scenarios on soybean production of rural parts of South Kazakhstan with the help of crop models. I also use qualitative (semi-structured interviews with farmers) methods to apply farmers' opinion in the development of clamte change adaptation strategy.

Paper long abstract:

The project looks at how climate change will affect agriculture in South-eastern region of the Republic of Kazakhstan, particularly soybean production under future climate scenarios utilizing crop modelling tools. AquaCrop FAO crop model is used to analyze soybean yield under projected climate. Impact of different irrigation practices under future climate is analyzed and is proposed to the stakeholders in the region, including small-holder farmers, local authorities, local branch of the Ministry of Agriculture, Balkash-Alakol basin (Almaty region) Inspection for water resources, scientific community. For this, firstly, crop model is calibrated and validated for the region. Secondly, semi-structured interviews with the main stakeholders (farmers) are conducted to understand their interest in obtaining information on projected future soybean yield, options for adaptation to climate change, as well as learning about their current practices and barriers to adaptation. Finally, the calibrated and validated crop model is used to understand the response of soybean production to future changes in climate under several irrigation practices. Modelling of future yield with applied adaptation options identified by farmers is performed to estimate their effect under different climate scenarios. The results is shared with stakeholders who demonstrated their interest during earlier interviews in a form of come-back seminar and via email. Farmers can then make their own decisions on adaptation options of their soybean production to climate change taking into account the modelling results.

Paper short abstract:

Mobile banking is one of the latest digital transformation achievements in the developing world and is depicted as an enticing tool for improving agricultural services. The study examines factors that influence the adoption and use of mobile banking by small-scale farmers in developing countries.

Paper long abstract:

Smallscale farmers in developing countries experience a wide range of difficulties, including transaction services, which are caused by difficulties in agriculture or farming extension services and could be resolved by using mobile banking applications. Mobile banking is one of the latest digital transformation achievements in the developing world. The recent growth of cell phone usage in developing countries has sparked interest in mobile banking, such as mobile money transactions. Mobile banking adoption in developing countries by different sectors has been successful since it has enormous potential, thus being depicted as an enticing tool for improving agricultural services, particularly among small scale farmers who rely primarily on banks for their money transfers. Contrary to common assumptions, fewer people utilize mobile banking services for agriculture, which suggests that this sector of smallscale farming has not yet undergone a radical transformation within developing countries. Several research studies have indicated that over 80% of business owners have adopted mobile banking, but only 15% use this innovation for agriculture-related payments. Through a systematic literature review, this study examines factors that influence the adoption and use of mobile banking by small scale farmers in developing countries. It aims to synthesize previous work and identify knowledge gaps (in relation to theory, context, content, and methodology) and future research opportunities in this area. By examining the determinants that influence the use and adoption of mobile banking among small scale farmers in developing countries, this study adds new knowledge to the body of existing research and fills a gap.

Paper short abstract:

I would like to bring knowledge in the field of climate change adaptation by offering insights into adaptation strategies implemented by vulnerable high mountainous smallholder communities in the global south. I am excited to share my findings and provide valuable information to the participants.

Paper long abstract:

The contemporary challenge, climate change is the most noticeable phenomenon in the high mountains of Pakistan. This study seeks to examine the smallholder’s climate change adaptation in land-based livelihoods in the high mountainous Western Karakoram region of Pakistan. By interviewing 430 randomly selected smallholders through a structured household survey this study found that over the past 20 year’s majority (88.6 %) of smallholders have perceived significant variations in climatic conditions. Results further revealed that about (88 %) of sampled smallholders reported adverse impacts of climate change on land-based livelihoods in the form of crop/horticulture diseases, a decrease in the amount of water for irrigation during spring and a reduction in the quality of fruits and crops. Results also indicate that smallholder’s implement diverse adaptation strategies to cope with the adverse impacts of climate change. The widely practiced adaptation strategies reported by smallholders were the use of chemical fertilizers (91.4 %) followed by practicing crop rotation (88.4 %), shifting to horticulture from crop production (81.2 %) and soil conservation techniques (7.6 %). Moreover, the Chi-square results present that smallholder’s decision for adaptation is significantly influenced by factors like gender (P=0.000), education (P=0.000), tenancy status (P=0.005) and cropping zones (P=0.000) respectively. Likewise, factors like poverty, lack of knowledge, lack of technology and lack of access to credit were major identified barriers to climate change adaptation in the study area. The findings suggest designing locally context-specific climate adaptation strategies that would enable smallholders to strengthen their resilience to cope with climate change.

Paper short abstract:

- How livelihood strategies and their associated welfare effects have changed over 20 years. - Challenges faced by female headed households, particularly in the off-farm sector. - Agricultural wage employment as a sign of distress, especially for rural female headed households.

Paper long abstract:

We use five waves of household surveys in Uganda, from 1992/3 to 2011/12, to study income diversification and its effect on the welfare of rural and urban households during a period of sustained economic growth and poverty reduction, comparing the 1990s to the 2000s, and disaggregating by gender of the household head. Diversification is measured in terms of access to incomes from agriculture (farming), agricultural wage, self-employment (informal), wage employment and remittances. The analysis shows substantial and evolving variation in the effects of diversification across rural/urban locations and gender of the household head. Diversification became increasingly beneficial for welfare over time in rural areas, particularly for male headed households, but not for female headed households that diversified into agricultural wage employment. Diversification was also important for the livelihoods of urban households, but with large differences across male and female headed households likely reflecting differentials in the returns to non-agricultural employment. Remittances were associated with increasing welfare in the 2000s for all households, although the proportion of households receiving remittances has been declining.

Paper short abstract:

This paper discusses climate change adaptation strategies implemented by smallholder women farmers at household level, why they chose those strategies and how their livelihoods have been affected

Paper long abstract:

It is essential for farmers in the Global South to adapt to climate change using strategies that increase resilience and enhance livelihoods. Despite the role that women play in agriculture, they face constraints that limit their liberty to decide how to cope with climate threats and to employ appropriate methods. In most agrarian societies, women's adaptation choices are related to gendered resource access and control, gender roles, power dynamics, culture, institutions, and other macro and micro-level social, political, and economic factors. This paper discusses adaptation strategies implemented by women farmers at the household level, why they chose those strategies and how their livelihoods have been affected. This research was guided by Feminist Political Ecology and Social Relations Approach. Participatory research methods – semi-structured interviews, focus groups discussions, Venn diagrams, gender-disaggregated seasonal calendars, transect walks, and gender resource mapping – were utilised to collect information from women farmers in Uganda. Results show that female farmers typically take the initiative in implementing adaptation measures, using techniques that they are familiar with, can afford and are acceptable in their households. In addition, membership in groups, relationships with family and friends, clans, state and private institutions contribute to women’s choice of adaptation measures. This strongly links to the livelihoods of women. This study advances knowledge of how smallholder women farmers cope with climate risks. This is important for policy, debates and practice that aim to enhance farmers’ resilience to climate change and improve livelihoods.

Key words: Climate change, Adaptation decisions, Livelihoods, Smallholder women farmers

Paper short abstract:

Research on weather shocks has focused on the farm sector ignoring the non-farm sector. These shocks affect decisions on labour supply for men and women differently influenced by gender norms. Findings suggest that women are trapped in agriculture in patriarchal States, while men are unaffected.

Paper long abstract:

Distressing climate events such as droughts and floods are causing several untold hardships to many rural households in the developing world. Many research works have focused on the impact of weather shocks on the farm sector, but not on the non-farm sector of the rural economy. Employing climate data merged with georeferenced Nigeria General Household survey panel data and Afrobarometer data, the effects of rainfall shocks on off-farm labour supply; and the regional differences in gender norms’ influence on labour supply decisions in the face of rainfall shocks were determined. The findings show that households increase their labour supply to off-farm labour employment in response to excessive rainfall shocks, however, while it was positive and significant for female-headed households, it was not significant for male-headed households. No significant response for the deficit rainfall shocks for both male and female-headed households. Furthermore, we find suggestive evidence that in response to the excessive rainfall shocks, households decrease their labour supply to off-farm labour employment for patriarchal States (in favour of men). While this was the case for female-headed households, it was positive and insignificant for male-headed households. This could be indicative of women being trapped in agriculture when faced with weather shocks in patriarchal States, which could have welfare implications. Policies targeted at climatic shocks may need to consider the non-farm sector considering gender and regional differences.

Paper short abstract:

Is ‘stepping out’ of farming maladaptive for smallholders? In this presentation I focus on this controversial topic by drawing on recent household survey data from climatic hazard-prone coastal Bangladesh, and an analysis of the data using an innovative framework and novel methods.

Paper long abstract:

Worldwide, smallholder agriculture is under threat due to the impacts of global climate change. Under the circumstances, business as usual is no longer an option, but what adaptation pathways could provide better livelihood outcomes and under what contexts is widely contested. In my presentation I focus on a rather controversial proposition – ‘stepping out’ of farming. Opinions as to whether this adaptation pathway is an appropriate response to climatic changes or maladaptive for smallholders remain divided. I draw on our recent research based on survey data collected from over 800 smallholder farming households located in climatic hazard-prone coastal areas of Bangladesh, wherein many smallholders were stepping out of farming, either voluntarily or through planned interventions, which have been dubbed by some as orchestrated 'agrarian dispossession'. We analysed the data using an integrated driver-strategy-outcome framework, index-based data aggregation, and structural equation modelling with mediation and moderation analyses. We found that ‘stepping out’ of farming had a negative effect, whereas ‘stepping up’ had a positive effect on smallholders’ livelihood outcomes. Furthermore, we found the positive effect for households owning

Paper short abstract:

This paper explores how women and less-migratory people in pastoralist communities in Tanzania, adapted livelihood strategies in response to a tailored participatory extension and climate services approach, and how this promoted their agency to adapt to climate variability and change.

Paper long abstract:

Women and young people in pastoralist communities are often perceived as disempowered and lacking agency, since the cattle-herding activities that are the mainstay for such communities, are predominantly controlled by adult men. In the semi-arid Longido district in northern Tanzania, climate variability and change, compounded by environmental degradation, create challenging conditions for pastoralists to make decisions about livelihood strategies. Initiatives to support such communities through communication of climate information and encouragement of climate adaptation strategies have proven difficult, because of their nomadic lifestyle, and a perceived inability/unwillingness to engage in livelihood activities beyond rearing cattle. Following a scoping study, motivated by challenges in previous work with pastoralists, we tailored a participatory climate services approach - Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) - to focus specifically on supporting the agency of women and young people in pastoralist communities. The majority of participants (96%) adapted a range of agricultural and non-agricultural strategies, including diversification beyond rearing cattle, in response to the information and decision-making tools included in the approach. As a result, 97% perceived that their ability to cope with climate variability and change had improved. This shows that promoting the agency of women and less-migratory people in pastoralist communities through the use of participatory climate services can support them in developing and implementing effective strategies to cope with climate variability and change.

Paper short abstract:

Climate change manifestation in extreme weather destroys livelihoods. In Sub-Saharan Africa, most people in rural communities are peasant farmers who depend on the environment. Hence any change in climatic conditions affect farmers' yields. Migration becomes a strategy to ensure livelihood security.

Paper long abstract:

Climate change manifestation in extreme weather events such as floods or gradual processes such as drought destroys lives and livelihoods. Less developed countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, are most vulnerable to climate impacts because most rural communities are poor and peasant farmers who depend directly on the natural environment (i.e., agriculture) for their livelihoods, use little technology and have a low capacity to adapt, to the extent that minor climatic changes disturb the sensitive symbiotic environmental relationship. farmers suffer severe yield losses when seasonal rains miss expectations. In order to improve livelihood, migration becomes a viable option to ensure livelihood security. This paper examines the effect of flooding and drought on livelihoods in Yapei and Wungu communities in Northern Ghana and the use of migration as a way to ensure livelihood security. The study adopted mixed methods: quantitative data by using a survey and qualitative data using in-depth interviews (II), and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). A total number of 371 respondents were sampled for the survey and 20 participants were purposively selected for the interviews. High temperatures and erratic rainfall were found to be changes in climatic conditions. The study found that livelihoods were affected by climate events. The study also found that some participants engaged in seasonal migration to other communities in search of jobs. The study recommends the need for context-specific adaptation strategies to improve livelihood in the home communities.

Paper short abstract:

Climate change adaptation must be understood in the context of land use change. This paper explores pastoral adaptation in the context of rapid urban expansion and land privatisation in formerly rural areas, showing how household adaptation strategies seek to bridge rural and peri-urban space.

Paper long abstract:

Climate change adaptation must be understood in the broader context of social, economic and land-use change. This includes the ongoing expansion of urban, industrial and infrastructural expansion into rural areas. This paper explores pastoral climate change adaptation strategies at the rural-urban interface. It examines how Maasai pastoralists in peri-urban Nairobi, Kenya, are responding to climate hazards in the context of urban expansion, land use change and land privatisation.

We find that while urban expansion provides significant challenges for pastoral livelihoods in the study area, pastoralists also actively engage new opportunities in the peri-urban context and employ them in their adaptation strategies. We show how adaptation strategies related to mobility, diversification, market exchange, storage and comunal pooling are employed and reshaped through a variety of efforts including engagement with urban land markets and demand for livestock products, and by capitalizing on proximity to transport, trading facilities, water, and commercial fodder.

We also find that historical land ownership patterns play a significant role in adaptation strategies, as some pastoralists are able to convert rising peri-urban land values into private rural land access and diversification strategies. Poor households are in a more precarious position but draw on informal agreements to access land as part of their adaptation strategies. Our findings highlight how pastoral households at the rural-urban interface may draw actively on peri-urban opportunities and seek to bridge rural and peri-urban space in their adaptation strategies.

Please note: Sylvia Rotich is lead author. Mikkel Funder presents physically on behalf of the authors.

Paper short abstract:

The paper present empirical experiences of the understanding, exposure, sensitivity and the adaptation strategies of one the under-researched fishing communities in the continent. the aim is to strengthen the autonomous adaptation strategies used to adapt to both climatic and non-climatic drivers.

Paper long abstract:

Research has demonstrated the vulnerability of sub-Saharan Africa to changes in climatic and non-climatic conditions, especially affecting populations with heavy dependence on the weather. Fishing-dependent livelihoods in Africa are faced by multiscale threats due to low adaptive capacity and sensitivity of the system to both climatic and non-climatic changes and are an under-researched community in terms of the impacts of climate change. This paper therefore investigates the perceptions of the artisanal fisherfolk on climate change and climate variability, the impacts of them on their livelihoods, and the adaptation strategies adopted. The paper utilizes both FGDs and KIIs to collect data from the artisanal fisherfolk and other relevant stakeholders. Results indicate that, they relied on fishing in lakes around their communities and on the river-Niger using autonomous technologies and small manual canoes and boats. The cohort have a supernatural understanding of climate change but can identified climatic changes and it effects on their livelihood. Low quality and quantity of rainfall, climate variability, depletion of water bodies, harmful fishing practices by migrants, acidification of the water bodies, biodiversity loss, lack of interventions, corruption, demographic pressure, inflation, and low working capital are identified as key climatic and non-climatic drivers of vulnerability. Migration to other states or neighbouring countries, farming and economic diversification are the most common adaptation strategies among the fisherfolks. This paper recommends Education, interventions such as provision of credit and insurance facilities, monitoring and evaluation of intervention programmes, and fisherfolks’ cooperatives are possible solutions to the vulnerability of the fishing-dependent livelihoods.

Paper short abstract:

Demonstrating an ease to play face-to-face experimental CPR board game which is built on complexity and realism in the grazing system game, we show how recent tropical storm referred to as “ANA” affected cooperative behavior of the flood victims and those who were no affected by floods in Zambia.

Paper long abstract:

Environmental problems being a social dilemma impacts on decision making in a number of ways. In this study, we investigate the differences in cooperation behavior between the communal farmers affected by floods (flood victims) and those who were not affected in Namwala district of Zambia. We report a chain of incentivized field experiments built a common pool resource system (CPR). Depending on the decision-making behaviors in preceding rounds of the game, subjects faced with differences in the conditions of resource availability, and also differences in both the need to coordinate and to cooperate amongst themselves. Our findings indicate that despite subject behaving differently, flood victims behaved more cooperatively as they sustained about 49% of the grazing communal land in good condition while the unaffected farmers only maintained about 21% of the grazing plots in good condition.

After analyzing different resource availability, we still found that subjects from Kabulamwanda site (flood victims) behaved more cooperatively in most of the grazing conditions and had higher real-life payoffs than the subjects from Nakamboma study sites who were not affected by the floods.

Paper short abstract:

The curbing strategies adopted by displaced victims of flood in Taraba State, how to restore their dis-articulated means of livelihood after self-returned or resettlement and how to mitigate perennial occurrences of flood.

Paper long abstract:

Climate change has been a major discourse amongst nations and development experts globally in recent decades. Because of the rising ill human activities against the environment, global warming is said to be moving at the fastest rate and disrupting the course of nature. The recurring discourse about climate change is dependent on its far-reaching consequences on the global system. With the changing climatic conditions, the world is now home to hotter temperature having 2011-2022 as the warmest years in world records, incessant floods due to rising sea level, and overwhelming health hazards. Taraba State is among the states in Nigeria that has been experiencing incessant floods which has submerged and sweep away numerous rural agrarian based communities, farm land, crops, communities, forced displacement of people, exacerbate hunger and starvation, and disruption of means of livelihoods. The State houses three major tributaries and River Benue with international link to Lagdo Dam in Cameroon. These bodies of rivers have caused serial flooding with huge displacement. The displaced communities have their means of livelihoods dis-articulated. The hope on government to provide humanitarian support and find lasting solution to the problem has not yielded sustainable result over the years. What then has been the curbing strategies adopted by these displaced victims of flood in Taraba State? What can be done to restore their dis-articulated means of livelihood after self-returned or resettlement? Can the perennial flood be mitigated? These trajectories define the focus of this study and subsequent contributions to body of knowledge.

Paper short abstract:

We present the findings from a systematic literature review of the impacts of farmer-led irrigation development (FLID) in Sub-Saharan Africa. We summarize the impacts of FLID across different dimensions of farmer well-being and highlight the inconsistencies and biases in impact assessments.

Paper long abstract:

Water scarcity is a key driver of chronic poverty and hunger in many developing countries where most rural households depend on agriculture for sustenance. Scaling up irrigation development in these regions is critical to safeguard food security and strengthen farmers’ ability to respond to climatic shocks. In recent years, there has been increasing emphasis on supporting small-scale farmer-led irrigation development (FLID) as an alternative to traditional large-scale irrigation projects. In this paper, we systematically review the literature to assess the impacts of FLID on smallholders in sub-Saharan Africa, a region that is expected to face some of the greatest food security challenges in the future. We find that the impacts of FLID on income and food security are heterogenous, but overall positive. Increased agricultural yields and multiple cropping are associated with positive income and food security outcomes. We find some evidence of adverse impacts on gender equality, health and the environment, and some studies show that FLID can be biased towards relatively wealthier farmers. Our work also reveals some inconsistencies and biases in the FLID impact assessment literature. We find that most of the reviewed impact assessments are clustered in Ethiopia. Most assessments compare FLID with non-irrigating households but impacts across different typologies of FLID is missing in literature. Although all these impact studies on FLID are clustered in a few countries, network analysis suggests that authors seldom engage with other impact assessments and few research papers appear to build on ideas from other papers, especially from other disciplines.