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Migration and self-protection against climate change: a case study of Samburu district, Kenya

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

Abstract

Climate change will affect the livelihoods of pastoralists in arid and semi-arid lands. We use new data from Samburu District, northern Kenya, to explore whether migration of household members affects adoption of adaptive measures. Specifically, we seek to test whether migra-tion and adaptation are complementary mechanisms to protect the household against adverse shocks, or whether they are substitutes. Do remittances relax capital market constraints and facilitate the uptake of adaptive measures, or do they render adaptation superfluous? Our data suggests migration –via remittances – facilitates the adoption of self-protective measures in the areas of origin of the migrants. Supporting our interpretation that credit constraints constitute the main mechanism linking migration to adoption, we document that the effects of migration on self-protection are only significant in locations where villagers lack access to credit.

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  • Ng’ang’a, Stanley Karanja & Bulte, Erwin & Giller, Ken E. & McIntire, John M. & Rufino, Mariana C., 2016. "Migration and self-protection against climate change: a case study of Samburu district, Kenya," 2016 Fifth International Conference, September 23-26, 2016, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 246271, African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE).
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aaae16:246271
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.246271
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    Cited by:

    1. 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.
    2. Tanvir Pavel & Syed Hasan & Nafisa Halim & Pallab Mozumder, 2018. "Natural hazards and internal migration: The role of transient versus permanent shocks," Discussion Papers 1805, School of Economics and Finance, Massey University, New Zealand.
    3. Liu, Ziming & Yu, Lu, 2020. "Stay or Leave? The Role of Air Pollution in Urban Migration Choices," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    4. 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.
    5. 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).
    6. 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.
    7. 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.
    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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    Environmental Economics and Policy; Land Economics/Use;

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