Kingdom
Research: The PCNS examines climate–migration interactions in North and West Africa
This project will analyse how climate pressures—such as water scarcity, land degradation, and extreme events—are reshaping the distribution of caregiving responsibilities and the organisation of households.
The Policy Center for the New South (PCNS) launched on Wednesday a research project on the interactions between climate change, migration, and caregiving dynamics within households in North and West Africa.
Entitled “Climate–Care Nexus: Adapting Care Systems to Climate and Migration Pressures in North and West Africa,” the project is funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC/CRDI) and will be implemented over a three-year period in Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, and Mauritania, according to a PCNS press release.
“While climate and social policies are often conceived in a sectoral manner, the interactions between climate, migration, and the organisation of caregiving activities (care systems) remain insufficiently integrated, despite their implications for economic participation, human capital, and long-term resilience,” the same source observes.
The project will analyse how climate pressures—such as water scarcity, land degradation, and extreme events—are reshaping the distribution of caregiving responsibilities and the organisation of households.
It therefore aims to document these dynamics and to gain a better understanding of the adaptation mechanisms developed by households and communities in response to climate pressures. The project will rely on a comparative regional methodology, based on surveys of between 1,500 and 2,000 households per country, as well as around 120 qualitative interviews in each country. It will make use of harmonised tools to ensure comparability across the four national contexts.
Throughout the project, four national reports will be produced, along with a regional comparative analysis, a series of research publications, and capacity-building support to help inform public policy.
By highlighting transformations in caregiving dynamics under the combined effects of climate and migration pressures, the project seeks to contribute to a more integrated approach to public policy, positioning these issues as a structural component of adaptation and development strategies in North and West Africa.
