Droughts, livelihoods, and human migration in northern Ethiopia

Hermans, Kathleen; Garbe, Lisa

doi:10.1007/s10113-019-01473-z

Cited by 48 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Studies that have explicitly focused on climatic changes, and especially drought-related studies, have generally concluded that climate shocks increase migration propensity. However, they added that gender, economic household resources and community vulnerability strongly mediate and even have the potential to inhibit migration (Ezra, 2001;Gray and Mueller, 2012a;Mersha and Van Laerhoven, 2016;Hermans and Garbe, 2019). For example, Hermans and Garbe (2019) found that drought increased short-term migration, whereas it hampered long-distance migration due to the curtailed household resources.…”

Section: Environment-related Migration In the Northern Ethiopian Highmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, they added that gender, economic household resources and community vulnerability strongly mediate and even have the potential to inhibit migration (Ezra, 2001;Gray and Mueller, 2012a;Mersha and Van Laerhoven, 2016;Hermans and Garbe, 2019). For example, Hermans and Garbe (2019) found that drought increased short-term migration, whereas it hampered long-distance migration due to the curtailed household resources. Furthermore, Gray and Mueller (2012a) as well as Mersha and van Laerhoven (2016) found that drought increased the labor-related mobility of men, whereas the marriage-related mobility of women declined due to the limited abilities of households to cover wedding expenses.…”

Section: Environment-related Migration In the Northern Ethiopian Highmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To address these adverse developments, farmers in the northern highlands apply various strategies, such as livestock and crop management, soil and water management, migration and income diversification (Meze-Hausken, 2000; Gilligan, Hoddinott and Taffesse, 2009; Gebrehiwot and van der Veen, 2013; e.g., Adimassu et al, 2017). Migration, as one of these strategies, occurs across various times and scales (Asfaw, Tolossa and Zeleke, 2010;Gray and Mueller, 2012a;Weldegebriel and Prowse, 2017;Hermans and Garbe, 2019).…”

Section: Onset Standard Deviationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Migration decisions, including northern Ethiopia (e.g., Hermans and Garbe, 2019), typically can only be explained by the interaction of several factors (conjunctural causation) (de Haas, 2010;Foresight, 2011). Consequently, QCA was especially appropriate in the context of this study.…”

Section: Qualitative Comparative Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Deciphering interwoven drivers of environment-related migration – A multisite case study from the Ethiopian highlands

Groth

Ide

Sakdapolrak

et al. 2020

Global Environmental Change

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Global environmental change is increasing livelihood pressure for many communities, and agricultural households in the Global South are particularly vulnerable. Extant research has debated whether and to what degree this amplifies the migration flows while also acknowledging that migration can be an adaptive strategy. However, little is known about which contextual factors are most relevant and how they interact in shaping environment-related migration. We shed light on this issue by conducting an in-depth qualitative, yet multisite and yet medium-N study of farming households in the northern Ethiopian highlands. We utilized qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) -a novel approach in the research field-to overcome the existing methodological challenges. We found that migration experience within the household in combination with either the usage of the longer summer rainy season (Kiremt) or non-farm in situ diversification are sufficient causes for migration. Non-farm income activities and favorable environmental conditions during the Kiremt season increases economic household resources and as such migration ability. However, only together with migrant networks, which can reduce the costs and risks of migration and shape migration aspirations, can these drivers explain why households engage in migration. Our findings reveal that capabilities and networks, rather than commonly cited push factors, are far more important drivers of environment-related migration at the household level. Additionally, we illustrate that while migration is an important adaptation strategy, it cannot be adopted equally among households and as a result often reinforces existing inequalities.

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Section: Environment-related Migration In the Northern Ethiopian Highmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Environment-related Migration In the Northern Ethiopian Highmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Onset Standard Deviationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Qualitative Comparative Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Deciphering interwoven drivers of environment-related migration – A multisite case study from the Ethiopian highlands

Groth

Ide

Sakdapolrak

et al. 2020

Global Environmental Change

Self Cite

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show abstract

“…In South Wollo, farmers apply various strategies to address these unfavorable conditions including livestock and crop management (e.g., drought-resistant crops), soil and water management (e.g., terracing) and in situ income diversification and migration (Meze-Hausken 2000; Gilligan et al 2008;Gebrehiwot and Van Der Veen 2013;e.g., Adimassu et al 2017). In our study region, migration is a widely applied household strategy that appears in various forms, such as temporary and permanent, and to rural and urban destinations inside and outside Ethiopia (e.g., Gray and Mueller 2012;Morrissey 2013;Hermans and Garbe 2019). Many scholars conclude that environmental deterioration and climatic changes in the Ethiopian highlands tend to increase migration propensity (mainly due to reduced agricultural productivity), although there are barriers to migration such as gender norms or economic resources (Ezra 2001 Other studies from South Wollo highlight the importance of environmental, economic and social resources, including social networks, as enabling factors for migration (e.g., Asfaw et al 2010;Tegegne and Penker 2016;Groth et al 2020).…”

Section: Environmental Change Livelihoods and Migration In South Wollomentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating environment-related migration processes in Ethiopia – A participatory Bayesian network

Groth

Hermans

Wiederkehr

et al. 2021

Ecosystems and People

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The influence of environmental change on human migration is complex. Despite major strides in understanding the environment's role in migration processes, uncertainties associated with multi-scale factor interactions and their influence on migration still persist. This study aims to (a) understand how soil degradation and rainfall changes-in combination with socioeconomic factors-in the northern Ethiopian highlands contribute to human decisions to migrate; and (b) identify barriers for adopting local policy measures to reduce migration needs. Therefore, we integrate place-based research with literature findings and the participatory development of a Bayesian network (BN) involving local policy makers and representatives from both villages and NGOs. Our results show two major influential factors that affect environment-related migration: (a) the sufficiency of a household's agricultural production and (b) non-farm activities. According to our participatory BN, we conclude that environmental changes increase migration, either through high migration needs due to low agricultural production and/or through increased non-farm activities, which increases the necessary financial means to enable migration. We conclude that contradicting policy programs greatly hinder local measures to prevent soil degradation, potentially fueling migration, and that bottom-up and locally adapted strategies are particularly promising for sustainable land management in the region.

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Population responses to the 1976 South Dakota drought: Insights for wider drought migration research

McLeman

Fontanella

Greig

et al. 2021

Population Space and Place

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Droughts on the North American Great Plains once led to elevated levels of out‐migration from rural areas. Large‐scale drought migration has not been observed since the 1950s due to changes in land management and agricultural systems that lessened farm‐level vulnerability to drought. Have droughts had less observable population impacts in subsequent decades? Here, we present findings from an investigation of an unusually severe, localised drought that struck eastern South Dakota in 1976 and caused staggering financial losses to farms. County‐level population and net migration rates show an anomalous increase of migration into drought‐affected counties by male migrants in the age group 30–35 years, likely being return migrants coming to help on the family farm. Newspaper archives and interviews with retired farmers suggest that few people moved away during the 1976 drought; most adapted instead by selling off their livestock herds and taking on greater debt. However, a commonly expressed view is that the drought ‘softened up’ area farmers, increasing their vulnerability to interest rates that quadrupled in the three following years. The early 1980s saw high rates of farm failures, unemployment and population decline in counties that experienced the worst impacts of the 1976 drought, suggesting the drought had a lag effect on population patterns. The findings from this case study are consistent with the ‘lessening hypothesis’ that social and technological innovations reduce economic and population impacts of recurrent climatic risks but elevate vulnerability to less frequent, unusually severe events.

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Droughts, livelihoods, and human migration in northern Ethiopia

Cited by 48 publications

References 47 publications

Deciphering interwoven drivers of environment-related migration – A multisite case study from the Ethiopian highlands

Deciphering interwoven drivers of environment-related migration – A multisite case study from the Ethiopian highlands

Investigating environment-related migration processes in Ethiopia – A participatory Bayesian network

Population responses to the 1976 South Dakota drought: Insights for wider drought migration research

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