Bialaba Migrants from the Northern of Benin to Nigeria, in Search of Productive Land—Insights for Living with Climate Change
Abstract
:1. Introduction
Climate Change, Environmental Migration and Conceptual Limits
“change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods”.[1]
“owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country”.[6] (p. 3)
“Persons or groups of persons who, for compelling reasons of sudden or progressive changes in the environment that adversely affect their lives or living conditions, are obliged to leave their habitual homes, or choose to do so, either temporarily or permanently, and who move either within their country or abroad”.[13] (pp. 1,2)
2. Research Area and Socio-Cultural Characteristics of the Bialaba
2.1. Northwest Benin
2.2. The Bialaba Ethnic Group
3. Methodology
3.1. Research Design and Methodology
3.2. Grounded Theory
4. Findings
4.1. Migration Movements of Bialaba
4.2. More Emigration than Immigration
“There are people who immigrate, but their number is not as big in comparison to us who emigrate. There are the Fulani who come from Nigeria, but they are not numerous. They come for their small businesses, but not to settle down”.[39]
4.3. Internal Migration
4.4. Cross-Border Migration to Southwest Nigeria
“Everyone without exception migrates to Nigeria, it is not only the Bialaba. All countries are represented there. Everyone is there because it is good and easy”.[53]
4.5. Profile of Male Migrants
“There are many people who emigrate. There are still more people who migrate in the dry season to work abroad and return afterwards. They go abroad to do agricultural work and return with motorcycles and building material. My children also went abroad, that’s why I have a zinc roof on my house. Many go to Nigeria at the moment. The Ivory Coast is a bit too far, but there are also people who go there. In recent years, many more people have gone to Nigeria in search of a better life, because the rain was not sufficient here”.[58]
“When I left, I did not leave to stay. I left for a purpose. And as I reached my goal and got older...My goal was to build a house, have a mill, a bicycle, a motorcycle...I got it all”.[67]
4.6. Profile of Female Migrants
“There are women who have already been there [in Nigeria]. Now they return and take girls, widows, or women who have been left by their husbands to work as domestics or in bars”.[56]
4.7. Insights for Living with Climate Change in the Dassari Watershed Area
“There is a significant change in climate. The soils are degrading, heat is attacking us now and rain is becoming a rare occurrence. Nowadays the rain does not fall in the same way it did during the time of our grandparents”.[49]
4.8. Precipitation
4.9. Droughts and Heat
“Life has changed and so has temperature. Nowadays it is hotter than before. There was heat before, but it was followed by rain and wind that allowed us to breathe. Today the wind is dry, it is unbearable. Rain is scarce and heat becomes more and more intense”.[39]
“People migrate, because they do not understand the changing climate. The change in climate is not favourable to agricultural work anymore. It is now said that it is favourable in Nigeria, therefore many farmers leave for the latter country”.[66]
4.10. The Water Resource
5. Discussion and Conclusions
“It must be recognized that the degradation of the environment is socially and politically constructed; only through a structural understanding of the environment in the broader political and cultural context of a region or country can one begin to understand its ‘role’ as a factor in population movement”.[86] (p. 12)
Supplementary Materials
Acknowledgments
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
References and Notes
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- Interview extract: Eunice, Bialaba Female, Age 42 years, Dassari, Benin, 24 September 2013, duration: 81 min.
- Interview extract: Herve, Bialaba Male, Age 18 years, Pouri, Benin, 2 September 2013, duration: 66 min.
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- Interview extract: Boris, Bialaba Male, Age 32 years, Dassari, Benin, 23 September 2013, duration: 64 min.
- Interview extract: Carine, Bialaba Female, Age 50 years, Pouri, Benin, 30 August 2013, duration: 43 min.
- Interview extract: Elliot, Bialaba Male, Age 54 years, Pouri, Benin, 30 August 2013, duration: 54 min.
- Interview extract: Diane, Bialaba Female, Age 40 years, Porga, Benin, 28 August 2013, duration: 41 min.
- Interview extract: Christelle, Bialaba Female, Age 27 years, Pouri, Benin, 3 September 2013, duration: 60 min.
- Interview extract: Chimène, Bialaba Female, Age 42 years, Dassari, Benin, 13 September 2013, duration: 72 min.
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- Interview extract: Doussi, Bialaba Male, Age 18 years, Porga, Benin, 28 August 2013, duration: 27 min.
- Interview extract: Emmanuel, Bialaba Male, Age 38 years, Pouri, Benin, 30 August 2013, duration: 58 min.
- Interview extract: Dorcas, Bialaba Male, Age 38 years, Dassari, Benin, 13 September 2013, duration: 59 min.
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- Interview extract: Rodrigue, Bialaba Male, Age 60 years, Porga, Benin, 29 August 2013, duration: 50 min.
- Interview extract: Ruth, Bialaba Female, Age 23 years, Pouri, Benin, 3 September 2013, duration: 58 min.
- Interview extract: Roland, Bialaba Male, Age 55 years, Dassari, Benin, 17 September 2013, duration: 68 min.
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Dreier, V.; Sow, P. Bialaba Migrants from the Northern of Benin to Nigeria, in Search of Productive Land—Insights for Living with Climate Change. Sustainability 2015, 7, 3175-3203. https://doi.org/10.3390/su7033175
Dreier V, Sow P. Bialaba Migrants from the Northern of Benin to Nigeria, in Search of Productive Land—Insights for Living with Climate Change. Sustainability. 2015; 7(3):3175-3203. https://doi.org/10.3390/su7033175
Chicago/Turabian StyleDreier, Vanessa, and Papa Sow. 2015. "Bialaba Migrants from the Northern of Benin to Nigeria, in Search of Productive Land—Insights for Living with Climate Change" Sustainability 7, no. 3: 3175-3203. https://doi.org/10.3390/su7033175