Vulnerability to climate change and adaptation strategies of local communities in Malawi: experiences of women fish-processing groups in the Lake Chilwa Basin
In recent years, research on climate change and human security has received much attention among policy makers and academia alike. Communities in the Global South that rely on an intact resource base and struggle with poverty, existing inequalities and historical injustices will especially be affect...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2016-12-01
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| Series: | Earth System Dynamics |
| Online Access: | http://www.earth-syst-dynam.net/7/977/2016/esd-7-977-2016.pdf |
| Summary: | In recent years, research on climate change and human security has received
much attention among policy makers and academia alike. Communities in the
Global South that rely on an intact resource base and struggle with poverty,
existing inequalities and historical injustices will especially be affected
by predicted changes in temperature and precipitation. The objective of this
article is to better understand under what conditions local communities can
adapt to anticipated impacts of climate change. The empirical part of the
paper answers the question as to what extent local women engaged in fish
processing in the Chilwa Basin in Malawi have experienced climate change and
how they are affected by it. The article assesses an adaptation project
designed to make those women more resilient to a warmer and more variable
climate. The research results show that marketing
and improving fish processing as strategies to adapt to climate change have
their limitations. The study concludes that livelihood diversification can be
a more effective strategy for Malawian women to adapt to a more variable and
unpredictable climate rather than exclusively relying on a resource base that
is threatened by climate change. |
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| ISSN: | 2190-4979 2190-4987 |