Recent rises in temperature and typhoon frequency and intensity have resulted in more internal migration in the Philippines, according to an article by Pratikshya Bohra-Mishra et al. in Population and Environment. The authors conclude that temperature change and natural disasters, such as typhoons, can have a significant effect on short-distance, sub-national migration because they reduce rice yields, which is used as a proxy for agricultural productivity. They found no clear evidence of rainfall having a significant effect, perhaps, they speculate, because three quarters of rice crops in the Philippines are irrigated. Areas of the country with higher shares of rural populations were found to have higher levels of outmigration, which suggests the link between agriculture and migration. The authors write that this research has implications for future effects of climate change on migration, specifically pointing toward areas that already have high baseline temperatures.

Mercy Corps recently released a self-evaluation of the USAID-funded Pastoralist Areas Resilience Improvement through Market Expansion (PRIME) project in Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State. Working in an area that has experienced severe drought since the 2015 El Niño cycle, PRIME has focused on building resilience in food security and livelihoods systems to help enable communities to withstand and recover from shocks. The study concludes that PRIME was effective in enhancing household wellbeing by improving access to financial services, water, and resources for livestock. Projects included constructing or rehabilitating ponds to allow for water harvesting in the rainy season and providing training on fodder production and preservation for pastoralists to improve and maintain the condition of their livestock. As a result, they saw more diverse diets and a lower likelihood of being impoverished among targeted communities. The study also suggests future research should focus on the severity of shocks to further understand how project impact may vary with different shock intensities.