Drought coping and adaptation strategies: Understanding adaptations to climate change in agro-pastoral livestock production in Makueni district, Kenya

Ifejika Speranza, Chinwe (2010). Drought coping and adaptation strategies: Understanding adaptations to climate change in agro-pastoral livestock production in Makueni district, Kenya. European Journal of Development Research, 22(5), pp. 623-642. Palgrave Macmillan 10.1057/ejdr.2010.39

Full text not available from this repository.

Using drought as a lens, this article analyses how agro-pastoralists in Makueni district, Kenya adapt their livestock production to climate variability and change. Data were collected from a longitudinal survey of 127 agro-pastoral households. Approximately one-third of the households have inadequate feeds, and livestock diseases are major challenges during non-drought and drought periods. Agro-pastoralists’ responses to drought are reactive and mainly involve intensifying exploitation of resources and the commons. Proactive responses such as improving production resources are few. Poverty, limited responses to market dynamics and inadequate skills constrain adaptations. Many agro-pastoralists’ attachment to livestock deters livestock divestment, favouring disadvantageous sales that result in declining incomes. To improve adaptive capacity, interventions should expose agro-pastoralists to other forms of savings, incorporate agro-pastoralists as agents of change by building their capacity to provide extension services, and maintain infrastructure. Securing livestock mobility, pasture production and access is crucial under the variable social-ecological conditions.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography > Geographies of Sustainability 08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography > Geographies of Sustainability > Unit Critical Sustainability Studies (CSS) 08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography > Geographies of Sustainability > Unit Land Systems and Sustainable Land Management (LS-SLM) 10 Strategic Research Centers > Centre for Development and Environment (CDE)
UniBE Contributor:	Ifejika Speranza, Chinwe
Subjects:	300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology > 330 Economics
ISSN:	0957-8811
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan
Language:	English
Submitter:	Stephan Schmidt
Date Deposited:	12 Jun 2015 08:14
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 14:47
Publisher DOI:	10.1057/ejdr.2010.39
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/69296