Linking local vulnerability to global sesame market price: The case of temporary rural-rural migrants from Quarit district, Ethiopia

Abstract

In the face of current wave of globalization with intensified and diversified human migration, the vulnerability of migrants has become a hot issue. This article explores how temporary rural-rural migrant farmers from Quarit district, Northwestern Ethiopia, are vulnerable to global sesame price shock at their destination. It is informed by the concepts of double exposure framework and information generated from focus group discussions, key informant interviews and secondary sources. The vulnerability of migrants to sesame market price shock primarily results from the integration of migrants into globally networked and dictated commodity market. However, there are multiple and interacting factors causing or exacerbating the effects of this global force. These include rainfall variability driven decline in the quality of sesame, lack of diversification of Ethiopian export, over dependence of Ethiopian sesame export on Chinese market, the responses of migrants to market shock, and absence of institutional support to the sesame sector and to migration based livelihood activities. Thus, arguably, understanding the vulnerability of migrants stemming from global market force needs to consider the multiple and interlinked factors located beyond the spot of livelihood activities in terms of reinforcing the effects of globalization. The article suggests addressing the multiple factors that make migrants vulnerable to global market price shock and its outcomes becomes meaningful through coupled responses involving relevant actors situated at scales ranging from local to global levels.