Climate-Induced Displacement and Migration – Implications on Poverty and Household Food Security in Southern Africa

Abstract

Climate-induced extreme weather events such as droughts and floods have been documented as major drivers of massive displacement and migration of people globally and in Southern Africa, in particular. To this end, floods and recurrent drought conditions in most countries in southern Africa (e.g. Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Eswatini) continue to induce rural–urban migration as people flee vulnerable areas (flood- & drought-prone areas) for perceived better opportunities in towns and cities, owing to persistent crop failure in rural areas. Against this background, this paper aims to contribute to the climate change and migration discourse by exploring the climate change, migration and development nexus to better understand the challenges and opportunities for rural development paused by climate change through the migration pathway. The study adopts a desktop review methodology and makes use of both scholarly and grey literature to unpack the climate change and migration linkages and how these present opportunities (and challenges) for rural development in Southern Africa. The review was conducted by searching electronic databases such as Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar for articles published between 2000 and 2024. Key study findings reveal that climate change leads to population displacement and migration in Southern Africa as people flee flood and drought-prone rural areas for safer spaces (in towns and cities). This migration, while posing significant challenges for rural development and leading to the decline in rural food production, also presents potential opportunities for rural development through remittance flow and skills transfer. The study advocates for the formulation of policies and strategies that will mitigate the impacts of climate change while simultaneously harnessing the potential benefits of migration in promoting sustainable development in the region.