Local Institutions, External Interventions, and Adaptations to Climate Variability

This research examines the role of local institutions in mediating the adaptive practices developed by individuals and collectives in the cotton-growing region of Mali. In this area, the main climate risk is erratic and inadequate rainfall, compounded by difficulties related to guaranteeing a sufficient income from cotton and cereal farming from increasingly infertile soils. The following key questions guided the fieldwork: 1) What role do local social institutions have in long-term adaptation to environmental change?, 2) How have extra-local actors interacted with local social institutions in development and adaptation efforts?, and 3) How is the production and use of weather and climate information organized?