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Migration and Self-Protection Against Climate Change: A Case Study of Samburu County, Kenya

Author

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  • Ng’ang’a, Stanley Karanja
  • Bulte, Erwin H.
  • Giller, Ken E.
  • McIntire, John M.
  • Rufino, Mariana C.

Abstract

Climate change will affect the livelihoods of pastoralists in arid and semi-arid lands. Using data on agro-pastoral households from northern Kenya, we explore whether migration of household members enhances adoption of agricultural innovations that aim to provide protection against weather shocks. Specifically, we seek to test whether migration and adaptation are complementary mechanisms to protect the household against adverse shocks, or whether they are substitutes. Do remittances relax capital constraints and facilitate the uptake of adaptive measures, or do they render adaptation superfluous? Our data provide suggestive evidence that remittances from migrant household members may relax capital constraints, and that remittances are an important mechanism linking migration to adoption, enabling the uptake of new technologies that involve change in activities or high costs. Specifically, migrant households adopt more adaptive measures (promoting self-protection), and we document some support for the hypothesis that this is especially the case for high-cost adaptations such as the purchasing of drought tolerant livestock. These findings suggest that migration and local innovation are complementary rather than substitutive mechanisms of self-protection for pastoral households in the semi-arid lands of northern Kenya. Households who have at least one member who has migrated are able to overcome barriers to employ high-cost agricultural innovations–through using remittances received—thus enhancing their self-protection against climate change related shocks.

Suggested Citation

  • Ng’ang’a, Stanley Karanja & Bulte, Erwin H. & Giller, Ken E. & McIntire, John M. & Rufino, Mariana C., 2016. "Migration and Self-Protection Against Climate Change: A Case Study of Samburu County, Kenya," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 55-68.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:84:y:2016:i:c:p:55-68
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2016.04.002
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Tanvir Pavel & Syed Hasan & Nafisa Halim & Pallab Mozumder, 2018. "Natural Hazards and Internal Migration: The Role of Transient versus Permanent Shocks," Working Papers 1806, Florida International University, Department of Economics.
    2. Sansi Yang & Le Yu & Ganxiao Leng & Huanguang Qiu, 2021. "Livestock farmers’ perception and adaptation to climate change: panel evidence from pastoral areas in China," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 164(1), pages 1-24, January.
    3. Lesly Cassin & Paolo Melindi-Ghidi & Fabien Prieur, 2020. "Confronting climate change: Adaptation vs. migration strategies in Small Island Developing States," Working Papers hal-02515116, HAL.
    4. Yurco, Kayla, 2024. "From grazing units to milking units: The gendered nature of intra-household livestock management and food security for pastoralists in Kenya," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    5. Héctor Morales-Muñoz & Srijna Jha & Michelle Bonatti & Henryk Alff & Sabine Kurtenbach & Stefan Sieber, 2020. "Exploring Connections—Environmental Change, Food Security and Violence as Drivers of Migration—A Critical Review of Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-27, July.
    6. Soumyadeep Banerjee & Abid Hussain & Sabarnee Tuladhar & Arabinda Mishra, 2019. "Building capacities of women for climate change adaptation: Insights from migrant-sending households in Nepal," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 157(3), pages 587-609, December.
    7. Liu, Ziming & Yu, Lu, 2020. "Stay or Leave? The Role of Air Pollution in Urban Migration Choices," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    8. Annemiek Pas, 2018. "Governing Grazing and Mobility in the Samburu Lowlands, Kenya," Land, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-24, March.

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