IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ags/afjrde/263575.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Adapting livelihoods to floods and droughts in arid Kenya: Local perspectives and insights

Author

Listed:
  • Quandt, A.
  • Kimathi, Y.A.

Abstract

Adaptation of rural livelihoods to climate change hazards such as floods and droughts is critical. However, policy has focused on large scale adaptation policies that often ignore local knowledge. In this paper, we explore local perceptions and insights about viable livelihood adaptation strategies in arid Isiolo County, Kenya. Research included 270 household surveys and 6 focus group discussions in 7 communities. Results indicate that the three livelihoods that communities saw as being a viable option for themselves in the context of future climate change included camel keeping, business, and modern agriculture. Camels were cited as being resilient to drought. Business was seen as an option less impacted by floods and droughts than other livelihood options, and modern agriculture could improve food security and income. These local insights should be included in climate change adaptation policy in order to sustain, and even improve, the livelihoods of vulnerable communities in the future.

Suggested Citation

  • Quandt, A. & Kimathi, Y.A., 2017. "Adapting livelihoods to floods and droughts in arid Kenya: Local perspectives and insights," African Journal of Rural Development (AFJRD), AFrican Journal of Rural Development (AFJRD), vol. 1(01), June.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:afjrde:263575
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.263575
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/263575/files/5Quandt.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/263575/files/5Quandt.pdf?subformat=pdfa
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22004/ag.econ.263575?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mati, Bancy & Muchiri, J. M. & Njenga, K. & Penning de Vries, Frits & Merrey, Douglas, 2005. "Assessing water availability under pastoral livestock systems in drought-prone Isiolo District, Kenya," IWMI Working Papers H038781, International Water Management Institute.
    2. Barry Smit & Mark Skinner, 2002. "Adaptation options in agriculture to climate change: a typology," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 85-114, March.
    3. Frank Ellis, 2000. "The Determinants of Rural Livelihood Diversification in Developing Countries," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(2), pages 289-302, May.
    4. Bebbington, Anthony, 1999. "Capitals and Capabilities: A Framework for Analyzing Peasant Viability, Rural Livelihoods and Poverty," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 27(12), pages 2021-2044, December.
    5. Ellis, Frank, 2000. "Rural Livelihoods and Diversity in Developing Countries," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198296966.
    6. Thornton, Philip K. & Jones, Peter G. & Alagarswamy, Gopal & Andresen, Jeff & Herrero, Mario, 2010. "Adapting to climate change: Agricultural system and household impacts in East Africa," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 103(2), pages 73-82, February.
    7. Louis Verchot & Meine Noordwijk & Serigne Kandji & Tom Tomich & Chin Ong & Alain Albrecht & Jens Mackensen & Cynthia Bantilan & K. Anupama & Cheryl Palm, 2007. "Climate change: linking adaptation and mitigation through agroforestry," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 12(5), pages 901-918, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Clay, Nathan & King, Brian, 2019. "Smallholders’ uneven capacities to adapt to climate change amid Africa’s ‘green revolution’: Case study of Rwanda’s crop intensification program," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 1-14.
    2. Tiziana Pagnani & Elisabetta Gotor & Francesco Caracciolo, 2021. "Adaptive strategies enhance smallholders’ livelihood resilience in Bihar, India," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(2), pages 419-437, April.
    3. Francisco X. Aguilar & Dienda Hendrawan & Zhen Cai & James M. Roshetko & Judith Stallmann, 2022. "Smallholder farmer resilience to water scarcity," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 2543-2576, February.
    4. Martin, Sarah M. & Lorenzen, Kai, 2016. "Livelihood Diversification in Rural Laos," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 231-243.
    5. Rao, Nitya, 2017. "Assets, Agency and Legitimacy: Towards a Relational Understanding of Gender Equality Policy and Practice," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 43-54.
    6. Clay, Nathan & Zimmerer, Karl S., 2020. "Who is resilient in Africa’s Green Revolution? Sustainable intensification and Climate Smart Agriculture in Rwanda," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    7. Ali Akbar Barati & Milad Zhoolideh & Mostafa Moradi & Eydieh Sohrabi Mollayousef & Christine Fürst, 2022. "Multidimensional poverty and livelihood strategies in rural Iran," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(11), pages 12963-12993, November.
    8. Fadia Panosetti & Laurence Roudart, 2023. "Land struggle and Palestinian farmers’ livelihoods in the West Bank: between de-agrarianization and anti-colonial resistance," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/364796, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    9. Debelo Bedada Yadeta & Fetene Bogale Hunegnaw, 2022. "Effect of International Remittance on Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence from Ethiopia," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 383-402, June.
    10. Muhammad Zada & Syed Jamal Shah & Cao Yukun & Tariq Rauf & Naveed Khan & Syed Asad Ali Shah, 2019. "Impact of Small-to-Medium Size Forest Enterprises on Rural Livelihood: Evidence from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-17, May.
    11. Nadia Schoch & Bernd Steimann & Susan Thieme, 2010. "Migration and animal husbandry: Competing or complementary livelihood strategies. Evidence from Kyrgyzstan," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 34(3), pages 211-221, August.
    12. Yuxuan Xu & Jiangbo Chang & Fang Su, 2024. "Multi-Scale Evaluation and Simulation of Livelihood Efficiency in Post-Poverty Mountainous Areas," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-35, October.
    13. Fang SU & Udoy SAIKIA & Iain HAY, 2018. "Relationships between Livelihood Risks and Livelihood Capitals: A Case Study in Shiyang River Basin, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-20, February.
    14. Nathan Clay, 2018. "Integrating livelihoods approaches with research on development and climate change adaptation," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 18(1), pages 1-17, January.
    15. Santos, Anna N. & Brannstrom, Christian, 2015. "Livelihood strategies in a marine extractive reserve: Implications for conservation interventions," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 44-52.
    16. Gamel Abdul-Nasser Salifu, 2019. "The Political Economy Dynamics of Rural Household Income Diversification: A Review of the International Literature," Research in World Economy, Research in World Economy, Sciedu Press, vol. 10(3), pages 273-290, December.
    17. Stephen G. Perz & Flavia L. Leite & Lauren N. Griffin & Jeffrey Hoelle & Martha Rosero & Lucas Araujo Carvalho & Jorge Castillo & Daniel Rojas, 2015. "Trans-Boundary Infrastructure and Changes in Rural Livelihood Diversity in the Southwestern Amazon: Resilience and Inequality," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(9), pages 1-30, September.
    18. Soltani, Arezoo & Angelsen, Arild & Eid, Tron & Naieni, Mohammad Saeid Noori & Shamekhi, Taghi, 2012. "Poverty, sustainability, and household livelihood strategies in Zagros, Iran," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 60-70.
    19. H.M. Tuihedur Rahman & Gordon M. Hickey, 2020. "An Analytical Framework for Assessing Context-Specific Rural Livelihood Vulnerability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-26, July.
    20. Vasco, Cristian & Torres, Bolier & Pacheco, Pablo & Griess, Verena, 2017. "The socioeconomic determinants of legal and illegal smallholder logging: Evidence from the Ecuadorian Amazon," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 133-140.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Land Economics/Use;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ags:afjrde:263575. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: AgEcon Search (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://afjrd.org/jos/index.php/afjrd/index .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.