Joint International Economics - UNU-CRIS Seminar by Alix Debray on Irrigation as a Mitigator for Migratory Aspirations following Drought

This is a joint work with Els Bekaert (UGent and UNU-CRIS), Lucile Dehouck (PSE), Katrin Millock (PSE and CNRS), and Ilse Ruyssen (UGent and UNU-CRIS).

This article aims to contribute to the ongoing debate on the causal relationship between climate and migration, which has remained inconclusive and often fails to consider alternative adaptive mechanisms. Specifically, we investigate the potential of irrigation as a mitigating factor for drought-induced migration aspirations in 13 West African countries. Our analysis uses cross-country comparable Gallup World Poll surveys combined with fine-grained geo-local information on irrigation coverage as well as drought occurrence and intensity. Our preliminary findings confirm the potential of irrigation to diminish the negative effect of drought on migration aspirations. Further estimations on different samples will allow the identification of mechanisms from the agricultural channel through isolating droughts occurring during crop growing seasons. Our analysis will also highlight the role of irrigation on whether individuals would be more likely to stay in their local community or rather expected to fulfill their migration aspirations. Overall, the article highlights the potential of alternative adaptation mechanisms in shaping migration patterns and emphasizes the need for a more nuanced understanding of the climate-migration nexus. 

Keywords: Climate change, Drought, Internal migration, International migration, Irrigation, Migration aspirations, West Africa

This is a closed event. For further information, please contact Pascale Vantorre at pvantorre@cris.unu.edu