Vulnerability to climate change and adaptation strategies of local communities in Malawi: experiences of women fish-processing groups in the Lake Chilwa Basin

Hanne Jørstad,Christian Webersik

doi:10.5194/esd-7-977-2016

Abstract

Abstract. In recent years, research on climate change and human security has received much attention among policy makers and academia alike. Communities in the Global South that rely on an intact resource base and struggle with poverty, existing inequalities and historical injustices will especially be affected by predicted changes in temperature and precipitation. The objective of this article is to better understand under what conditions local communities can adapt to anticipated impacts of climate change. The empirical part of the paper answers the question as to what extent local women engaged in fish processing in the Chilwa Basin in Malawi have experienced climate change and how they are affected by it. The article assesses an adaptation project designed to make those women more resilient to a warmer and more variable climate. The research results show that marketing and improving fish processing as strategies to adapt to climate change have their limitations. The study concludes that livelihood diversification can be a more effective strategy for Malawian women to adapt to a more variable and unpredictable climate rather than exclusively relying on a resource base that is threatened by climate change.

Highlights

General comments “The discussion paper ‘Living with Climate Change: Adapting to Environmental Change in Malawi’ in its current form is not of sufficient quality to be accepted for publication
In the current version this gets mixed up at times, e.g. the sentence on p. 2430, line 1f: ‘The changing climate is having a significant impact on the rural poor’s human security. It is pushing the people living in the Lake Chilwa Basin further into poverty by affecting the natural resources they depend on” would for me be more of a conclusion than an analysis.”
What methods were used for data collection, reduction, analysis? - E.g. how did the authors select the 18 participants, what was the focus of the interviews? : why did the authors interview members from ‘Women Fish Processing Groups’ on their agricultural practices? This might make sense

Summary

Methodology:

“For an empirical paper this needs a lot more attention! On page 2425f, the methods are described but these are not very detailed - more information on who, how, when, why - of those involved would provide more context. It seems to me that either, a) the authors are trying to connect empirical material that did not have a specific focus on conflict to the broader conflict-climate discussion (which would provide a thin argument and would be highly problematic in my opinion) or, b) there has been an explicit focus on conflict in the empirical data (in which case it needs to be highlighted much clearer).”. We discuss what the empirical material offers and what not This has led to substantial editing throughout the paper, with some of the sections being omitted. One could argue that due to successful adaptation measures, conflict could be avoided, the empirical material does not support this hypothesis Still, this aspect could be mentioned in the context of the special issue. There is a lot of room for adaption, for example out-migration, temporary re-location, that can ease tension, and some of these strategies have been mentioned in the article

Specific comments

Findings

Technical corrections and other comments