The Good Life in the Face of Climate Change: Understanding Complexities of a Well-being Framework through the Experience of Pastoral Women

Frameworks for understanding well-being play an important role in designing and evaluating climate change adaptation intervention and policy. To be effective, frameworks must capture the complexities of the social, ecological, and cultural contexts specific to vulnerable social groups. This study explores the concept of well-being from the perspective of pastoral women in Northern Kenya, a social group highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and a novel participatory group ranking activity. Analysis using the WeD Framework for well-being highlights key components from the perspective of Samburu women and underscores the importance of understanding the interaction between these components. We discuss the theoretical implications of these interactions for future use of the WeD framework and practical implications for the design and evaluation of climate change adaptation intervention and policy.