The West African state of Côte d’Ivoire has an area of 322,465 square kilometers, with a coastline of 540 kilometers along the Gulf of Guinea. It shares borders with Liberia in the southwest, Guinea in the northwest, Mali and Burkina Faso in the north, and Ghana in the east. The southern part...

Using a participatory rural appraisal approach, a series of qualitative studies were conducted in four countries facing negative impacts of climate change—Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya and Mali—in order to determine men’s and women’s perceptions of climate change,...

In the context of increasing vulnerability to climate change for people dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods, the International Food Policy Research Institute and partner organizations in Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, and Bangladesh undertook a project broadly aiming to create knowledge...

Benin covers a land area of 114,763 square kilometers and occupies a long stretch of land perpendicular to the coast of the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa. It is bordered on the north by Burkina Faso and the Republic of Niger, on the east by the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and on the west by the...

Climate variability is a reality that is affecting rural livelihoods in West Africa today and presenting a growing challenge in the region, as in many other parts of the African continent and elsewhere. Climate change will have far-reaching consequences for the poor and marginalized groups among...

The Kingdom of Swaziland covers an area of 17,364 square kilometers bordered on the north, west, and south by the Republic of South Africa and on the east by Mozambique. The two major towns or cities are Mbabane, the capital city, and Manzini. The 2007 census put the population at 1.02 million,...

According to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (Le Treut et al. 2007, 96), climate is defined as average weather over a period of time, ranging from months to millions of years. Climate is usually described in terms of the mean and variability...

Our purpose in this chapter is to help policymakers and researchers better understand and anticipate the likely impacts of climate change on agriculture and on vulnerable households in Nigeria. We do this by reviewing current data on agriculture and economic development, modeling anticipated...

Agriculture is the major source of livelihood for the majority of West Africans. The agricultural sector employs 60 percent of the active labor force but contributes only 35 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). The disparity between contribution to GDP and share of population means that many...

This paper reports on findings from 30 focus group discussions and 30 key informant interviews conducted in 12 districts of Bangladesh in May 2012. The discussions and interviews draw attention to perceptions of climate change and how climate-related trends influence people’s lives, both...