Overview
©CARE/Tamara Plush
Based on a protocol developed for Where the Rain Falls, field research was conducted in eight countries (Bangladesh, India, Guatemala, Peru, Ghana, Tanzania, Thailand and Vietnam) to examine the interplay among rainfall patterns, food security and human mobility. Using a Participatory Research Approach (PRA), household surveys and expert interviews–as well as local and global observation systems covering rainfall variability–the research aimed to answer this question: Under what circumstances do households use migration as a risk management strategy in response to increasing rainfall variability and food insecurity?
UNU-EHS is also conducting agent-based modeling to address the scenarios under which rainfall variability and food security may become significant drivers of human mobility in the medium- and long-term based on analysis of data from certain research sites. Finally, CIESIN at Columbia University is conducting mapping that puts the research results on migration in the context of local agro-ecosystems, natural resources, and rainfall variability.
Building on the results of the research and with support from the AXA Group, community-based adaptation projects will be designed and implemented in Thailand, Peru, India and Tanzania to test “best-bet” interventions identified in collaboration with communities. The activities are intended to make an immediate contribution toward reducing the vulnerability of these communities to worsening agro-climatic risks.
Download and read our report:
