Community adaptation to climate change: exploring drought and poverty traps in Gituamba location, Kenya

Abstract

Globally, many communities are vulnerable to weather-pattern variability. Climate change will act as a threat multiplier by increasing this variability. To combat growing vulnerability, strategies for adaptation must be developed. This study uses interviews and participatory research techniques to examine the effects of a year-long drought on women and poverty dynamics in Gituamba location, Kenya. It concludes that drought has the ability to create poverty traps and produce a poverty of time and energy among women. Some possible adaptation strategies include livelihood diversification, creation of cooperatives, conservation farming, and rehabilitation of communal boreholes.

Keywords:

• drought
• Kenya
• adaptation
• poverty trap
• climate change
• coping

Acknowledgements

This author wishes to thank Dr Jean Garrison, the Kinyanjui family and the women of Gituamba for their help in developing this project from start to finish. This research was funded by several entities at the University of Wyoming including the Social Justice Research Center, the Arts and Sciences/Saunders-Walter Scholarship, the Dick and Lynne Cheney Scholarship and the Haub School for the Environment.