How does land ownership and climate change affect people’s lives in Kenya?
Land is a central element of economic prosperity and social power, and changes in land use can lead to conflicts, inequalities, and migration. Climate change, such as drought and rising sea levels, exacerbates the situation and affects the value of land and access to land, which in turn influences people’s ability to make a living.
The report focuses on how land ownership affects the strategies people use to manage climate-related threats. It examines various dimensions of land ownership – ownership systems, the strength and scope of formal rights, and individuals’ perceived security of ownership – to understand how these factors influence climate adaptation, collective organizing, or potentially violent strategies to defend or reclaim land.
The study was conducted as a survey of households in Kenya, focusing on both rural and coastal urban areas. More specifically it investigates how land ownership affects the likelihood that people will:
- engage in climate adaptation at the household or community level,
- organise collectively to demand political change, or
- support violent or coercive strategies to reclaim or defend land from others.