Divergent adaptation to climate variability: A case study of pastoral and agricultural societies in Niger

Snorek, Julie; Renaud, Fabrice G.; Kloos, Julia

doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2014.06.014

Cited by 59 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…The term 'differential livelihood adaptation', as used in this study, closely relates to the concepts of 'divergent adaptation' (Snorek et al 2014), 'response space' (Osbahr et al 2010) and 'adaptation pathway' (Wise et al 2014;Haasnoot et al 2013)-all of which conceptualise adaptation as a localised, complex and dynamic process, framed by the social, political and institutional dynamics as well as power, knowledge and values/interests across multiple scales. Households operate within a shared response space, characterised by adaptive and maladaptive spaces-the boundaries between which are changing over time, due to changes in bio-physical, socioeconomic and institutional context.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Differential livelihood adaptation to social-ecological change in coastal Bangladesh

2017

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Social-ecological changes, brought about by the rapid growth of the aquaculture industry and the increased occurrence of climatic stressors, have significantly affected the livelihoods of coastal communities in Asian mega-deltas. This paper explores the livelihood adaptation responses of households of different wealth classes, the heterogeneous adaptation opportunities, barriers and limits (OBLs) faced by these households and the dynamic ways in which these factors interact to enhance or impede adaptive capacities. A mixed methods approach was used to collect empirical evidence from two villages in coastal Bangladesh. Findings reveal that households' adaptive capacities largely depend on their wealth status, which not only determine their availability of productive resources, but also empower them to navigate social-ecological change in desirable ways. Households operate within a shared response space, which is shaped by the broader socio-economic and political landscape, as well as their previous decisions that can lock them in to particular pathways. While an adaptive response may be effective for one social group, it may cause negative externalities that can undermine the adaptation options and outcomes of another group. Adaptation OBLs interact in complex ways; the extent to which these OBLs affect different households depend on the specific livelihood activities being considered and the differential values and interests they hold. To ensure more equitable and environmentally sustainable livelihoods in future, policies and programs should aim to expand households' adaptation space by accounting for the heterogeneous needs and complex interdependencies between response processes of different groups.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Households, thus, exhibit divergent adaptation, whereby successful adaptation by one wealth class led to reduced adaptive capacity of another wealth class within a shared social-ecological system (cf. Snorek et al 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential livelihood adaptation to social-ecological change in coastal Bangladesh

2017

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“…Divergent adaptation (Snorek et al, 2014) describes how adaptation to climate change within a social-ecological system (SES) produces the potential for greater inequities, conflicts, and/or cooperation resulting from adaptation decisions. The term divergent adaptation is defined as 'those adaptations that promote the adaptive capacity of one individual/community in a shared ecosystem which leads to a reduced adaptive capacity of an alternative individual/community in the same ecosystem,' and through this process, one can identify which users win or lose in adaptation, enhance adaptive capacity for marginalized groups, and promote equal adaptive capacity in the adaptation process (Snorek et al, 2014: 372).…”

Section: Defining the Contested Landscapementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Divergent adaptation is related to unsustainable and unequal forms of development and adaptation (Smith, 1990;Eriksen et al, 2011) and policies that have promoted land use conversion and/or sales that, in turn, dispossess small holders, reducing their adaptive capacity (Mardsen, 1995;Adger et al, 2006;Peluso and Lund, 2011;Cotula, 2012). The Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)'s AR5 chapter on human security (Adger et al, 2014), as well as other literature highlights how adaptations can enhance inequalities, impact resilience and disrupt overall human security of an SES (Raleigh, 2010;Eriksen et al, 2011;Kloos et al, 2013;Snorek et al, 2014).…”

Section: Defining the Contested Landscapementioning

confidence: 99%

“…These processes of uneven development have been exemplified also in adaptation processes (Eriksen et al, 2011) and divergent adaptation (Snorek et al, 2014). Like the poverty reducing sedentarization schemes in Ethiopia (Schmidt and Pearson, 2016) and the fragmenting of indigenous peoples' territories for the purpose of land reconfiguration (ReyesGarcía et al, 2014), divergent adaptations to climate events in Niger (Snorek et al, 2014) tend to exclude certain users, creating the potential for further marginalization and conflict. The dynamics of divergent adaptation can be visualized as 'inscriptions' on the landscape through remote sensing (Lukas, 2014) if they are sufficiently described through a solid analysis of historical environmental and social dynamics that identify the space as a contested landscape (Robbins, 2012).…”

Section: Defining the Contested Landscapementioning

confidence: 99%

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The production of contested landscapes: Enclosing the pastoral commons in Niger

Snorek

Moser

Renaud

2017

Journal of Rural Studies

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a b s t r a c tDivergent adaptation to climate variability produces unequal adaptive capacities between user groups and contributes to a contested landscape. This article examines divergent adaptations in the context of land tenure shifts in the pastoral zone of Niger. The management of the pastoral commons is shifting from a commonly-shared to private regime as former pastoralists take up new livelihoods, such as irrigated gardening. A method combining political ecology and remote sensing is used to study social ecological system (SES) dynamics in order to demonstrate the relationship between divergent adaptation, water-based conflict, land tenure shifts and land use/land cover change. Examining pastoral and agro-pastoral users' historical perceptions of land use and tenure change, results indicate that disputes over the access to and use of commonly shared natural resources are linked to increasing enclosures of ephemeral and permanent lakes in the pastoral zone of Niger. Remote sensing-derived information is used to identify and quantify the area and volume of enclosures around commonly shared water sources in the northern pastoral zone of Niger from 2003 to 2013. The study identifies the government-supported development of irrigated gardens in the pastoral zone as a divergent adaptation with its related conflict dynamics between user groups and highlights the land tenure shifts from a commonly to a privately managed regime. The findings have broader implications for the wider Sahel and provide recommendations as to how adaptation programs could be better designed and implemented in the pastoral system.

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The framing of power in climate change adaptation research

Woroniecki

Krüger

Rau

et al. 2019

WIREs Climate Change

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Power mechanisms and structures shape climate change adaptation outcomes, the measures adopted, and who is identified as requiring adaptation support. But to what extent does research recognize such power‐adaptation linkages? Based on a systematic literature review, we enquire if and how the framing of power matters for adaptation research and what the implications may be for practice. Our enquiry is predicated on the relationship between the researcher and the research focus being itself a relationship of power. Since power is complex and a single definition is not desirable, different actor‐orientated frames of power were used for the data analysis. The results show that authors are more likely to work with issues of power to (i.e., agency), power over, and empowerment, rather than resistance or disempowerment. Demonstrating the effect of such frames, these proportions change according to whether the research focuses on equity, effectiveness, or participation. For instance, power to is strongly associated with effectiveness, while disempowerment is associated more with equity. Together with other identified patterns, our review shows that researchers frame power in adaptation in ways that constitute biases and blind spots. Attention to particular frames of power can limit attention to important dynamics within adaptation processes. Both the content and context to which the identified frames are applied suggest structural trends in adaptation research that require increased attention. Since researchers' frames of power influence both research outcomes and broader adaptation‐power relations, the results indicate that reflexivity is needed to improve both adaptation research and practice. This article is categorized under: Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change > Institutions for Adaptation

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Divergent adaptation to climate variability: A case study of pastoral and agricultural societies in Niger

Cited by 59 publications

References 57 publications

Differential livelihood adaptation to social-ecological change in coastal Bangladesh

Differential livelihood adaptation to social-ecological change in coastal Bangladesh

The production of contested landscapes: Enclosing the pastoral commons in Niger

The framing of power in climate change adaptation research

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