Climate Change, Migration and Food in(Security) in West Africa Coastal Zones: A Case Study of Senegal

Abstract

This thesis aims to analyse the link between climate change, migration and food security in Senegal, particularly among fishing households. It focuses first on analysing the impact of climate change on the food security of Senegalese fishing households, then on analysing migration as a climate adaptation strategy to improve food security, and finally, it studies the interconnection between climate change, migration and food (in)security. This thesis used primary data collected from 570 Senegalese fishing households, as well as secondary data. The estimation techniques used were generalised least squares (GLS), Heckman and vector autoregression (SVAR). The results suggest that climate change has a negative impact on Senegalese fishing households by reducing their average daily income. The results also show that migration is a strategy used by Senegalese fishermen to adapt to climate change. Furthermore, there is a bidirectional relationship between migration, food security and climate change. It is recommended to promote seasonal migration, control catches, avoid overfishing and promote climate change adaptation strategies by creating other activities. Thus, the Senegalese government should orient its policy in this direction in order to revive the fishing sector and reduce illegal migration of fishermen.