Essays on the well-being and coping strategies of rural Mauritanian households in the face of rainfall shocks

Abstract

Climate change is increasingly gaining importance on the agenda of countries at all levels of development. It is recognized that developing countries, particularly those in Sub-Saharan Africa, are the most vulnerable to these climate threats, while unfortunately being the least responsible for some major sources of these risks, such as global warming. Adaptation to the changing climate of the populations of these countries is therefore essential to cope with these climate shocks. Due to the lack of formal adaptation strategies such as access to credit or insurance, household adaptation strategies can take several forms: Households may decide to participate in off-farm employment and livestock diversification practices to reduce their poverty and improve their food security. This research explores the theme of rainfall shocks, participation in off-farm employment and livestock ownership as a coping strategy in the face of climate variability in a Sub-Saharan African country, Mauritania. Compared to countries in the Sahel region, Mauritania is particularly affected by high climate variability. Climatic conditions are all the more important in this country because its economy is highly dependent on agriculture. It is the main source of income, food and employment for the majority of the population in rural areas, with a significant contribution from the livestock sub-sector.The studies included in this thesis show that coping strategies have a positive impact on the ability of households to deal with the adverse effects of climate hazards on their living conditions, but that they also have their limitations during major droughts.