Compound Vulnerabilities: The Intersection of Climate Variability and HIV/AIDS in Northwestern Tanzania

Abstract Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in Nsisha, a rural village located close to the shores of Lake Victoria in northwestern Tanzania, this article analyzes how climate change and variability intersect with other stressors that affect rural livelihoods, particularly HIV/AIDS. The analysis integrates theories of vulnerability from both climate and HIV/AIDS literatures to show how these intersecting stressors compound livelihood vulnerability in complex ways. Climate change and variability are linked to declining agricultural yields and an increase in food and nutrition insecurity and poor health in this region. This situation heightens poverty and susceptibility to HIV/AIDS, compromising people’s abilities to cope and adapt. Because of social dynamics, single mothers and their children are particularly affected by these compound vulnerabilities. Climate change and variability are significant contributing vulnerability factors that sustain and exacerbate asymmetrical poverty, food and nutrition insecurity, and HIV/AIDS. By describing the links between vulnerability to HIV/AIDS and climate variability, findings highlight the importance of holistic and localized approaches to adaptation, instead of trying to isolate single issues. Prioritization of multidisciplinary research focusing on the socially differentiated and gendered distribution of vulnerability specifically in regard to poverty, food and nutrition insecurity, and HIV/AIDS is recommended as a means to enrich the understanding of climate change vulnerability. Adaptation strategies should address how climatic shifts interact with generalized poverty, food and nutrition insecurity, health, and gendered vulnerability in areas most affected.

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Gender Influence on Access to and Control of Resources for Coping to Climate Variability. A Case of Mbita Fisher Community, Homa Bay County, Kenya

International Journal of Environment and Climate Change ◽

10.9734/ijecc/2020/v10i1130262 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 8-18

Author(s):

Robert David Lubalo Onyango ◽

Christopher Oludhe ◽

Doris Amwata

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Variability ◽

Coping Strategies ◽

Gender Discrimination ◽

Lake Victoria ◽

Fish Distribution ◽

Primary Data ◽

P Value ◽

And Control ◽

The Impact

Global warming effects have far reaching impacts of livelihoods of many rural communities including fishers. It is in record that fishing accounts for world’s 36 million fishers nearly 1.5 billion consumers who rely on fish for their dietary animal protein. Past studies have concentrated on fisher communities and climate variability in marine waters and oceans; mainly investigating the impact of climate variability on fish distribution and production. Limited focus has addressed the interaction between impacts of climate change on the fishing activities on inland and fresh waters such as in Lake Victoria and the fishers coping and adapting with changes and variability of climate. The discussions in this article focused on Lake Victoria shore location of Mbita where the livelihood of local community is largely fishing. The objectives were to: Determine the influence of gender on access and control of fisher resources for climate adaptation in Mbita sub-county; Document the current coping strategies and constraints to Climate variability/change in Mbita sub-county. The study used a constructivist epistemology and the mixed methods research design to help it achieve its findings. Yamane’s formula (1964) is used to get the sample size of 388 respondents out of a population of 13191. Primary data was collected through use of questionnaires, interview schedules for KII and FGDs. Secondary data collection was collected through document reviews of relevant past studies reports and working papers on (temperature/rainfall data) of Mbita for the last 30 years data to get the trend of these elements and to determine climate variability and change. The instruments were validated using experts’ content validity with the supervisors. Piloting was used to ascertain reliability of the instruments Analysis was accomplished using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences. Presentation was done in descriptive and inferential statistics. The study found that there was gender discrimination in access and control of resources which support adaptive activities that makes women more vulnerable to Climate Variability/Change hazards and disasters. The study further found that adaptation requires access and control of factors of production which were traditionally under the control of male fishers making women more vulnerable and susceptible to surviving through chamas and table banking activities. Statistically access to and control was significant to adaptation at p-value of 0.000. Under coping strategies the study found that adaptation required transformation of mind set that called for bigger investment which required the collaboration and consultation of entire Mbita community and county government to address environmental and conservative resource utility. The study concluded that lack of alternative livelihood opportunities/options is the major constraints to adaptation for people living in the Lake Victoria region escalated with limitation of skills outside fishing industry, limitation of other employable professional skills including lack of capital. The study recommends a transdiciplinary concientization of adaptive strategies which can translate into flexible and sustainable climate change adaptation and gender inclusive livelihood activities. Future research should explore participatory action research on environmental influences affecting CCA by comparing findings across other beaches and livelihoods to see if gendered resources have any role in their adaptation.

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Bivariate EMD-Based Data Adaptive Approach to the Analysis of Climate Variability

Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society ◽

10.1155/2011/935034 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2011 ◽

pp. 1-21 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Md. Khademul Islam Molla ◽

Poly Rani Ghosh ◽

Keikichi Hirose

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Variability ◽

Reference Signal ◽

Complex Signal ◽

Intrinsic Mode Functions ◽

Climate Data ◽

Climate Signal ◽

Adaptive Approach ◽

Climate Change And Variability ◽

Data Adaptive

This paper presents a data adaptive approach for the analysis of climate variability using bivariate empirical mode decomposition (BEMD). The time series of climate factors: daily evaporation, maximum and minimum temperatures are taken into consideration in variability analysis. All climate data are collected from a specific area of Bihar in India. Fractional Gaussian noise (fGn) is used here as the reference signal. The climate signal and fGn (of same length) are combined to produce bivariate (complex) signal which is decomposed using BEMD into a finite number of sub-band signals named intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). Both of climate signal as well as fGn are decomposed together into IMFs. The instantaneous frequencies and Fourier spectrum of IMFs are observed to illustrate the property of BEMD. The lowest frequency oscillation of climate signal represents the annual cycle (AC) which is an important factor in analyzing climate change and variability. The energies of the fGn's IMFs are used to define the data adaptive threshold to separate AC. The IMFs of climate signal with energy exceeding such threshold are summed up to separate the AC. The interannual distance of climate signal is also illustrated for better understanding of climate change and variability.

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Climate Change and Variability Impacts on Rural Livelihoods and Adaptation Strategies in Southern Ethiopia

Earth Systems and Environment ◽

10.1007/s41748-019-00134-9 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 15-26

Author(s):

Kushabo Araro ◽

Solomon Addisu Legesse ◽

Derege Tsegaye Meshesha

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Rural Livelihoods ◽

Adaptation Strategies ◽

Southern Ethiopia ◽

Climate Change And Variability

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Protected Agriculture

Impacts of Climate Change on Food Security in Small Island Developing States ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-6501-9.ch007 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 196-220

Author(s):

Janet Lawrence ◽

Leslie Simpson ◽

Adanna Piggott

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Adaptation Strategy ◽

Caribbean Region ◽

Successful Development ◽

Nutrition Security ◽

Climate Change And Variability ◽

Agriculture Industry ◽

Food And Nutrition ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Impacts Of Climate Change

This chapter provides an overview of the changing environment and the increased pest pressure that are projected to occur due to climate change and variability. Protected agriculture is introduced as an adaptation strategy to address these conditions and assist with food and nutrition security targets. The scope of the technology and the benefits of producing crops using protected systems as well as the use of protected systems in SIDS, with some emphasis on the Caribbean region, are outlined. The chapter outlines: (1) the specific features of the technology that assist with reducing the impacts of climate change and (2) some possible considerations for the successful development of a sustainable protected agriculture industry under climate change and variability.

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Strategi Peningkatan Produktivitas Kopi serta Adaptasi terhadap Variabilitas dan Perubahan Iklim melalui Kalender Budidaya

Jurnal Sumberdaya Lahan ◽

10.21082/jsdl.v14n2.2020.65-78 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 65

Author(s):

Yeli Sarvina ◽

Tania June ◽

Elza Surmaini ◽

Rita Nurmalina ◽

Sutjahjo Surjono Hadi

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Variability ◽

Adaptation Strategy ◽

Climate Forecast ◽

Climate Variability And Change ◽

Coffee Production ◽

Climate Change And Variability ◽

Potential Strategy ◽

Coffee Cultivation ◽

The Impact

Abstrak. Rendahnya produktivitas kopi merupakan salah satu permasalahan utama dalam sistem produksi kopi Indonesia. Hal ini diantaranya disebabkan tidak adanya perawatan kopi yang optimal dengan memperhatikan fase fenologi kopi, serta dampak variabilitas dan perubahan iklim. Berbagai teknologi adaptasi kopi sudah banyak dihasilkan namun langkah adaptasi dengan memanfaatkan prakiraan iklim dalam bentuk penyesuian kegiatan budidaya dengan fase fenologi atau disebut sebagai kalender budidaya belum dikembangkan. Tulisan ini memaparkan tentang dampak variabilitas dan perubahan iklim pada tanaman kopi, teknologi adaptasi kopi yang sudah tersedia, perlunya pengembangan kalender budidaya kopi sebagai bentuk strategi adaptasi dan peningkatan produktivitas serta potensi dan tantangan pengembangan kalender budidaya kopi di Indonesia. Hasil review ini menunjukkan kalender budidaya kopi berpotensi dikembangkan sebagai strategi peningkatan produktivitas serta adaptasi terhadap variabilitas dan perubahan iklim. Abstract. Low productivity is one of the main challenges in Indonesia's coffee production system .It is low due to cultivation management; most of the coffee farmer does not manage their plantation base on the coffee phenology phase. Moreover climate variability and change also have important effect on coffee productivity. Various technologies on adaptation and measurement to climate change and variability have been identified. Unfortunately, the technology which use climate forecast through adjusting cultivation activity and coffee phenology called as cultivation calendar do not exist yet. This paper provides an overview on the impact of climate variability and change to coffee production, the existing adaptation strategy, and the importance of cultivation calendar as a strategy for adapting and increasing productivity, and the potential and challenges to develop cultivation calendar in Indonesia. This review reveals that coffee cultivation calendar is a potential strategy for increaseing productivity and adapting climate change and variability.

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Gender and Resilience to Climate Variability in Pastoralists Livelihoods System: Two Case Studies in Kenya

Journal of Sustainable Development ◽

10.5539/jsd.v10n2p218 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 218

Author(s):

Nancy Omolo ◽

Paramu Mafongoya ◽

Oscar Ngesa

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Variability ◽

Adaptive Capacity ◽

Social Dynamics ◽

Local Level ◽

Local Context ◽

Western Kenya ◽

Ecological Zones ◽

The Impact ◽

North Western

Recurrent droughts due to climate change has led to vulnerability of the pastoralist communities, leading to loss of assets and food insecurity. Climate change will have different impacts on women and men’s livelihoods. Building resilience at individual, household and community level will largely depend on the suitability of interventions to the local context, particularly in relation to the social dynamics and power relations that create differences in vulnerability. Most of the research have focused on national and regional studies. The impact of climate change will not be uniformly distributed in countries within Africa or within the same country. This specific research focuses on two diverse ecological zones at the local level in the same County of Turkana in north western Kenya: agro-pastoral zone and primary pastoral zone. This paper aims to evaluate women and men’s adaptive capacity to climate variability in Turkana, north-western Kenya. It is evident that increasing resilience can be realised by reducing vulnerabilities and increasing adaptive capacity. The results revealed that agro-pastoralists are more resilient to climate change than primary pastoralists. Male headed household are more resilient than female headed households. Access to basic services is contributing more in the resilience score than assets, gender of house hold head and age. Generally, few families in this region have very high resilience score.

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The Perception of Rural Households on Climate Change Effect on Rural Livelihoods in Lake Victoria Basin

Ghana Journal of Geography ◽

10.4314/gjg.v12i2.3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 62-83

Author(s):

Evans Odhiambo Wabwire ◽

Stellah Mukhovi ◽

Isaiah Ang’iro Nyandega

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Lake Victoria ◽

Action Plan ◽

Local Level ◽

Rural Livelihoods ◽

Strong Wind ◽

Hydroelectric Power ◽

Lake Victoria Basin ◽

Ecological Zones ◽

Household Level

While the science of climate change is well investigated across most disciplines, people’s perception of climate change effects has not been well addressed. This paper sought to address the question of climate change perception and the effect of climate change on rural household livelihoods within the Lake Victoria Basin of Kenya. The study relied on households’ perception on the effect of climate change on the areas of agriculture, and food security, water, and energy supply. Multistage sampling was applied to select 539 households from four eco-ecological zones. The study revealed that most households presented localized explanations of climate change, which included: frequent and prolonged droughts, variations in rainfall onset and cessation, increased temperatures, an increased strong wind episode. Some households perceived climate changes effects resulted into a decrease in crop yield, resulting in increased household food insecurity, while some perceived water stress at household level, but mainly for those who relied on surface water, well water, borehole, and the natural spring. In addition, some of the households perceived shortage in energy sources, particularly hydroelectric power was said to be sensitive to the changes in climate. These perceptions were based on households’ experiences, and partially the results were found to be consistent with physical science of climate change. The paper therefore recommends the need to harmonise household perception with the climate change policy in order to address emerging challenges of climate change at the local level, create more climate change awareness supported through a comprehensive climate change action plan on country’s preparedness of extreme climate events at household level.

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Adaptation Measures to Mitigate the Impacts of Climate Variability among Pastoralists in Kajiado, Kenya

Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension Economics & Sociology ◽

10.9734/ajaees/2020/v38i1030442 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 156-166

Author(s):

Jacktone Achola Yala ◽

Joshua Orungo Onono ◽

William Okelo Ogara ◽

Gilbert Ongisa Ouma ◽

Sam Oyieke Okuthe

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Variability ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Livestock Production ◽

Primary Data ◽

Adaptation Measures ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Climate Change And Variability ◽

Negative Impacts ◽

Village Elders

Climate change and variability has direct and indirect effects on pastoralism through its effect on natural resources including water and pastures that support livestock production in pastoral areas. This study was conducted in Kajiado County where pastoralism is the main source of livelihood. The objective was to identify challenges facing pastoralism and adaptation measures applied by Maasai pastoralists to mitigate impacts of adverse climate events including flooding and drought. A cross-sectional study design was used and primary data collected through focus group discussions (FGDs), key informant interviews (KIIs) and expert opinion interviews (EOIs). A total of 10 FGDs (114 respondents within 10 wards, out of which 81 were men and 33 women), 25 KIIs (6 opinion leaders, 5 village elders, 6 chiefs, 6 government staff and 2 non-governmental organisation) and 12 EOIs (1 Department of Meteorological Services, 1 National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), 2 Department of Agriculture and 8 Departments of Veterinary Services and Livestock Production) were conducted during the data collection period. The findings showed that drought and flooding were the main climate related challenges that were often experienced by the pastoralists. The adaptation measure which were frequently implemented by pastoralist during flooding was livestock vaccination and mass treatment of sick livestock (Z >1.96) while the most frequently implemented adaptation measures during drought periods included migration with livestock to search for water and pasture (Z=1.51) and livestock vaccination and treatment of sick livestock (Z=1.08). Other climate variability related-challenges included increased incidences of livestock diseases, increased livestock deaths, increased cases of community conflicts, unavailability of veterinary vaccines and medicines, high cost of livestock vaccines and drugs and inadequate number of technical staff within the county. The study has shown that climate variability has significant impact on sources of livelihood for pastoralists who in turn are implementing several adaptation measures to mitigate the effects of climate change and variability. The study recommends formulation and implementation of appropriate plans and policies that are focussed on supporting resilience of the vulnerable pastoral communities and that could further assist in fighting the negative impacts of climate change and variability.

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Climate Variability and Urban Agricultural Activities in Ibadan, Nigeria

10.4018/978-1-6684-3686-8.ch057 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 1175-1194

Author(s):

Ayobami Abayomi Popoola

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Variability ◽

Urban Poverty ◽

Agricultural Activities ◽

Urban Farming ◽

Global Literature ◽

Climate Change And Variability ◽

Main Activity ◽

Farm Livestock ◽

Livestock Rearing

Two terms that are enjoying increasing overwhelming global literature advocacy and discussion are urban farming and climate change. While there is increasing advocacy towards the relevance of urban agriculture for urban dwellers and how it translates into a mitigation strategy against climate change variability and adaptation to urban poverty, the effect of some urban farming activities and how it serves as a driver to climate change needs to be investigated. In most of the urban periphery where there is availability of a large expanse of land areas, farming activities are usually practised in form of settlement farm, livestock rearing, or plantation agriculture. The study based on quantitative and qualitative data from urban farmers in Ibadan argues that the location of urban farmlands is dependent on climatic factor such as access to land. The study identified that climate variability as reported by the urban farmers has resulted in the increased use of fertilizer for farming by urban farmers, and the main activity that is pro-climate change and variability is bush burning.

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