Muluken Elias Adamseged Boeken

A significant focus has been placed on understanding climate change impacts, vulnerabilities, and adaptation strategies, yet there are notable gaps regarding non-farm livelihood adaptation and associated institutions. This dissertation addresses these gaps by centering on livelihoods with three interrelated objectives: (i) examining the dynamics of rural households' non-farm livelihoods; (ii) exploring the adaptation strategies employed by these households and the factors influencing their choices; and (iii) investigating how local institutions and arrangements shape these adaptation strategies. The findings reveal that non-farm livelihoods among rural households have generally increased over the study period, though fluctuations corresponded with rainfall patterns during the main growing season. Additionally, households employ a range of adaptation strategies, influenced by their perceptions of rainfall, socio-economic factors, and institutional frameworks. Key institutional components affecting local adaptation include transaction processes, governance structures, and the institutionalization of rules. The study emphasizes the need for policies that enhance access to financial resources, market opportunities, and vocational training to build households' skills and capacities. Furthermore, it advocates for the design of specific institutions and arrangements tailored to each adaptation strategy, ensuring active community invo

Food security, poverty reduction and climate change adaptation are substantial interlinked agendas in sub-Saharan African countries. The battle for achieving food security and poverty reduction depends on how efficiently and resource-saving the production, post-harvest, distribution and consumption of food are organised. In order to analyse and improve these processes comprehensively, the value chain approach has proven to be a very useful instrument in recent years. Yet value chains are experiencing numerous challenges while potential opportunities are also evident. This book provides a conceptual framework, empirical evidence and lessons on the challenges, opportunities and potentials to cope-up with food insecurity, poverty and climate change challenges in east African countries. First, it offers a conceptual framework for a dynamic value chain development in different regions. Then it discusses empirical evidence on the challenges of climate change and strategies towards it. Afterwards, value chain development for food security is discussed through country case studies. The book provides experiences learnt on a North-South capacity building project and gives recommendations to scale-up or improve intervention in the region or elsewhere. Finally, it will be discussed which changes of the university curricula are necessary to enable graduates to improve the coordination of food value chains.