Food and income diversification decisions as climate change adaptation strategies: Evidence from Kalfou and Tabalak local governments, Tahoua State, Niger Republic

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate rural household’s food and income diversification decisions in face of climate change adaptation strategies using advances in choice-based experiment. Several studies have focused on general and specific food values using the balanced incomplete block design; but fewer studies have been devoted to study rural household food and income diversification decisions via the lens of balanced incomplete Latin square design (BILSD). The BILSD was used to design questionnaire served in data collection. For each question, respondents were asked to choose his best and worst coping strategies. Mixed logit model was used to data. Results reveal that agricultural production, livestock products and remaining stock from previous harvest were the most important sources of food; while the sale of agricultural product followed by the sale of garden product, picking and the sale wild fruits and leafy vegetables, small business, crafting, project transfer, the sale of firewood and straw and the sale of livestock product were the most important sources of income. Results suggest that agricultural production, livestock production and stock from previous harvest and as well as the sale of agricultural product, the sale of garden product, picking and the sale wild fruits and leafy vegetables, small business, crafting, project transfer, the sale of firewood and straw and the sale livestock product are the optimal combination food and income diversification decisions to enhance rural household resilience building capacity. Results finally suggest that collective decision made about food and income diversification decisions is more welfare enhancing that individual decision. Key words: Food and income diversification decisions, rural household, choice experiment, climate change adaptation strategies.