Title:
Adaptation Strategies for Sustainable Management of the Impacts of Hydro climatic Risks on Food Security in the Mono River Basin in Benin

Authors:
Pierre OUASSA, François Adjéoda MABOULOU, Jean SODJI, Expédit Wilfrid VISSIN, Benin

Abstract:

Faced with the deleterious impacts of climate change on agrosilvopastoral systems, local communities in the lower Mono River Basin in Benin are developing various endogenous responses. This research evaluates community and institutional adaptation strategies in response to hydro climatic risks that threaten agricultural production and food security in the municipalities of Athiémé, Bopa, Comè, Grand-Popo, and Lokossa. The methodology relies on the analysis of hydroclimatic, agricultural, and socio-economic data (1960–2021), combined with field surveys conducted across 10 sub-districts among 508 households, and supplemented by direct observations and laboratory analyses. The results reveal that flood hazards are characterized by four severity levels (from low to very high), further compounded by droughts that severely destabilize cropping calendars. To cope with these threats, institutional and community measures are deployed: reliance on early warning systems (EWS), partnerships, local committees, adjustment of agricultural practices (ridging, lowland development), local processing, and livelihood coping strategies (migration, reduction of meals, and sale of livestock). In conclusion, optimizing agricultural resilience against food insecurity requires strengthening EWS, adopting climate-smart agriculture, and deploying Nature-based Solutions.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.51505/ijaemr.2026.11405