Climate variability, regional economies and local-level strategies

* Dr. Jan Verhagen AB-DLO, Wageningen.
* Dr. Fred Zaal, AGIDS, University of Amsterdam.
* Dr. Alpha Boureima Gado, Université de Niamey, African Studies Centre.

Climate variability is one of the main problems for farmers and herders in the West African Sahel, but also in other dryland areas of Africa and the world. During this seminar the latest developments in this field will be summarised in three short presentations. Dr. Jan Verhagen will talk about the relation between climate variability and agricultural production and methodologies to investigate this relation. Dr. Fred Zaal will give a short introduction on the effects of climate variability on regional economies in the Sahel. Dr. Alpha Boureima Gado will share his insights into local-level strategies based on recent research in several districts in southern Niger during the drought of 1996-97 and will sketch a long-term perspective based on his research on farmers' coping strategies in the 19th and early 20th century.
The meeting will be chaired by dr. Han van Dijk, African Studies Centre (ASC).