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Using disaggregated poverty data to unravel the risk of immobility in a drought-prone area of Ethiopia

Marion Borderon, University of Vienna
Nega Kassa, Haramaya University
Laurence Reboul, Aix Marseille University
Yoann Doignon, Université Catholique de Louvain

While environmental and climate-related disruption is likely to increase in frequency and intensity in the future due to current greenhouse-gas emissions, its impacts on the complex patterns of human migration remains unclear and highly depend of local contexts. In Ethiopia for instance, droughts are frequent and their effects are exacerbated by deep rural poverty, limited government capacity and exposure to additional political, economic and health crises. To what extent is the relationship between drought and poverty shaping migration patterns and influencing the capacity of populations to sustain their livelihoods? Our paper examines the migration patterns of individuals by exploring a longitudinal dataset of 24,000 households over 10 years (2007-2016) from the Demographic Surveillance System of Kersa, Ethiopia. By doing so, we locate the epistemology at the scale of deprived rural areas and seek to explore data sources which could provide granular data to understand better the needs and experiences of vulnerable populations. Such empirical exploration contributes to bridge the gap of the current literature with a multilevel approach (individual, household, district) which aims to chart a middle path between generalized, macro-level analysis of migration drivers and impacts, and the specificities of individuals and households focused on in-depth ethnographic study research.

Keywords: Internal migration, Longitudinal studies, Multi-level modeling, Population geography

See extended abstract.

  Presented in Session 103. Human Mobility and the Environment