Migration of the peasant population: A strategy for adapting to climate change in agriculture in Louga, Senegal

Abstract

In the Sahel, climate change is clearly characterised by the recurrence of extreme phenomena. The series of droughts in the 1970s and 1980s are an illustration of this. Louga, our study area, is experiencing the effects of climate change in that rainfall is marked by high interannual variability, and temperatures are rising. Agriculture, the main activity of the population, is affected by the fact that it is virtually rainfed. As a result, harvests are compromised, and people are looking for ways to survive. While some farmers are relying on changes in cultivation practices, others have considered it wise to migrate elsewhere in search of better living conditions. Thus, the objective of this work was to analyse the relationship between recent climate change in terms of rainfall and agricultural production to see to what extent migration constitutes a peasant adaptation strategy to climate change.