Docctorat en sciences humaines et sociales PhD Title of thesis: Adaptation mechanisms of agricultural households to climate change in DRCongo: case study of the Tshopo Province

There is ample evidence that climate change is having a negative impact on agricultural productivity. Many studies highlight that those farmers in the sub-Saharan region are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change, given their limited adaptive capacity. However, studies that address this issue in this region are generally conducted using quantitative approaches and distributed asymmetrically. This creates a huge quantitative and qualitative data gap in other Sub-Saharan countries, notably the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo). This thesis project aims to study the mechanisms of adaptation to climate change in agricultural households in the province of Tshopo. Specifically, the project aims to: i) elaborate the functional typology of agricultural households through archetypal responses to climatic disturbances; ii) study the socio-economic determinants of adaptation of agricultural households; iii) establish the link between internal migration of agricultural households and climate change. This project will basically apply a qualitative-quantitative approach, mobilizing methods from ethnology, sociology, climatology, and geography. The method will integrate both qualitative and quantitative survey data analyses, direct observations, and multi-stakeholder participatory workshops (focus groups, rapid rural appraisals), and climate data analyses. The results would provide an in-depth understanding of 1) functional responses of agricultural households to climatic disturbances; 2) the socio-economic determinants that shape their adaptation, and 3) the link between internal migration of farm households and disturbances in climatic parameters. These results would also be useful in designing and proposing effective agricultural development programs and policies tailored to the rural context to enhance the adaptive capacity of fagricultural households and improve their economic situation.