Do ex-ante and ex-post strategies to manage drought differ at the farm household level? A case of sub-Saharan Africa

Drought remains one of the most challenging climate risks in sub-Saharan Africa. Many farmers apply anticipatory (ex-ante) and reactive (ex-post) strategies to manage drought. Past studies have assessed the factors determining each of these strategies. Nevertheless, whether farmers apply precautions anticipating climate risks or reactive strategies after facing the risk is still a less explored topic. Also, it is not clear whether these strategies differ significantly at the farm household level. Therefore, this study investigates the factors associated with the adoption of ex-ante and ex-post strategies, using a comprehensive dataset collected in 2018 from 4351 farm households in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, and Mozambique. In all countries under study, almost 95% of farm households reported that they had experienced drought. Use of drought-tolerant crop varieties, application of sustainable land management practices, seeking alternative employment, increasing savings in both cash and kind, and taking measures to preserve food are major ex-ante measures, whereas replanting, using drought-tolerant varieties, reducing food consumption, taking alternative employment and borrowing are the dominant ex-post strategies. About 33% of households were found to have adopted drought-tolerant varieties as an ex-ante adaptation measure. Implicitly, we conclude that national climate change adaptation policies should prioritise the dissemination of drought-tolerant crops and varieties. Additionally, policy should focus on strengthening the farmers' physical and human capital resources. Also, formal risk transfer and asset protection schemes are needed once these human and physical capital resources are built to prevent the rural poor (whose livelihoods are climate-dependent) from liquidating these assets under drought-induced stress.

Automated summary

This study investigates the adoption of anticipatory and reactive strategies to manage drought in sub-Saharan Africa, based on data collected from 4351 farm households in five countries. The findings reveal that farmers commonly use measures such as drought-tolerant crop varieties, sustainable land management, alternative employment, savings, and food preservation as anticipatory strategies, and replanting, using drought-tolerant varieties, reducing food consumption, seeking alternative employment, and borrowing as reactive strategies. The study concludes that climate change adaptation policies should prioritize the dissemination of drought-tolerant crops and varieties, as well as strengthening farmers' physical and human capital resources.