FMR 64 initiatives. refugee-driven flexible, of importance the show responses Their face. they that challenges climate-related interconnected the tackle to ways finding are refugee-nomads Sahrawi politicised by both Morocco and Polisario, Polisario, and Morocco by both politicised are Territories Liberated the and camps the both in estimates Population herders. nomadic comprising measure), primarily to harder even are here figures population (although 30,000–40,000 of around population may have a area This Territories. Liberated the it calls area –an Sahara of Western territory 20% about of the as well as camps, the administers Polisario Sahara. Western of people indigenous the 173,000 Sahrawis, of around population estimated have an movement) and Sahara’s pro-independence Front (Western Polisario the and Morocco between of war outbreak the following 1975 up in set were camps These Algeria. Tindouf, near camps refugee Sahrawi the on focused understandably has studies, migration forced and of refugee perspective the from particularly conflict, Sahara the to Western paid attention ofMuch the Sahara Western Environmental challenges and local strategies in can members community host and refugees of both resourcefulness and potential the Harnessing same. do to the citizens country host inspire to and of asylum country the in challenges similar tackle to them enable often experiences These home countries. their in crises climate-related facing through developed resources human including them, with of resources awealth bring alwaysis negative. Refugees both or conflict or crisis change of climate because places other to relocating or persons of refugees influx an that perception held commonly the about arethink be to needs There Rethinking assumptions related to access to natural resources. resources. natural to access to related those including of conflicts management Matthew Porges June 2020 Climate crisisandlocalcommunities continuously circulating set of inhabitants. set circulating continuously of a snapshots as understood best therefore are camps, for the particularly figures, Population Algeria. and Spain to camps the from migration labour by temporary as well as Mauritania, northern and Polisario’s territory between individuals and movement of families by ongoing complicated also are and organisations mentioned. does not necessarilyrepresenttheviews ofany iswritten capacityand inapersonal This article Mauritania President oftheRefugee Council,MberaCamp, Fouda Ndikintum refugees. to offer protection time same at the and practices, protection resource natural and security of food promotion the to contribute crisis, change climate to respond way countries the shape over time Mohamed Ag Malha Mohamed Ag https://data2.unhcr.org/en/country/mrt Bassikounou, Mauritania Livelihoods Officer, UNHCRSubOffice, 1. 61.3%Tuareg; 37.2% Arab; 1.5%otherminoritytribes resulted in significant damage to the the to damage significant in resulted 1991, until similarly lasted Morocco, which with war The cities. Spanish-controlled around coalescing population nomadic dispersed of the much with urbanisation, rapid (though temporary) triggered period colonial the during droughts Catastrophic variations. climatic to vulnerable extremely population the sheep) have and left goats (of camels, pastoralism nomadic on reliance population’s historic the with combined The harshness of the desert climate climate desert of the harshness The [email protected] www.fmreview.org/issue64 [email protected]

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7 8 throughout the Liberated Territories is is Territories Liberated the throughout movement nomadic and aquifer, a large near built deliberately were camps Tindouf of The groundwater. depletion the is change refugees. employment for many provides camps the in of mud-bricks production the though problem, the mitigates partially cement, like materials, water-resistant with Building homeless. of refugees hundreds leaving rains, heavy the in dissolved houses mud-brick of the many 2015,In for instance, occurrence. annual almost an become has region, the in rare very previously Flooding, State. independent afuture and Sahara Western to readyreturn to perpetually remain to preferring reasons, for ideological materials permanent more with building resisted refugees the cases, some In materials. sourced locally made using mud-bricks from refugees by the built initially were camps the in structures semi-permanent Most rainfall. intense but very brief with interspersed long droughts seen has Tindouf around desert Algerian the rainfall, in decline continuous asteady, experiencing than Rather camps. the in of flooding frequency increased the been has problem severe increasingly Another pastoralism. animal with familiar more is population camp the because part in success, Moringa oleifera Moringa plant multi-use the of cultivation the in invested has for instance, –Oxfam, agriculture sedentary encourage Attemptsto by NGOs climate. by achanging decades recent in exacerbated have been challenges of those many and population, nomadic previously for the challenges unique presented has life Camp responses Climatic challenges–andappropriate economy. nomadic the rejuvenating and wells, maintaining and installing clearance, landmine large-scale by implementing pastoralism for nomadic specifically Liberated the to developeffort Territories –made aconcerted herds camel substantial maintains itself –which Morocco, Polisario with war of the conclusion the Following camps. Tindouf the in resided has population war, economy. of the nomadic most the Since www.fmreview.org/issue64 Another problem exacerbated by climate by climate exacerbated problem Another 2 – have met with mixed mixed –have with met Climate crisisandlocalcommunities in family members and activities.” and members family in investments dispersing strategically through risk-reduction and surviving; in other each assist to obligation the entails that network social astrong pastures; for greener looking of amentality elements: of three consisting heritage nomadic “as Somalis’ defined Kenya’s in camp,nomads refugee Dadaab refugee- Somali about Horst, writing Cindy anthropologist worlds. nomadic The and refugee both to atie it retains that in unusual is camps Sahara Western of the population the but refugees, and nomads for both problems are of groundwater depletion and drought of locations. anumber in emerging projects gardening Polisario-run with gardens, development of community the for allowed moreover,Territories, also has Liberated the in resources water of artificial development The wells. of mechanical use by the mitigated partially be can problem This aquifer. Tindouf the on pressure increase also and water sources, ephemeral on todepend however, it difficult make drought, and prolonged patterns rainfall unpredictable Irregular, wells. man-made water or small surface occurring naturally of either replenishment the on contingent in arid climates. Brahim’s earliest hydroponic hydroponic Brahim’s earliest climates. arid in agriculture for intensive strategy promising a therefore is and methods, other most than water-efficient more vastly is agriculture water. Hydroponic nutrient-enhanced in roots the by immersing typically soil, without plants of growing practice the is Hydroponics agriculture. hydroponic with experimenting began Syria, in engineer an as trained previously who had Taleb Brahim, named 2016, refugee In itself. aSahrawi population the from comes strategy promising most categories. nomad and refugee the bridge have to will then, camps, Tindouf the in implemented strategy resilience climate Any heritage. nomadic own their to ascribe refugees Sahrawi that values the largely are –which failure of economic points single resisting and solidarity social flexibility, of opportunism, form the in persists mentality nomadic this community, sedentary The unpredictable rainfall, generalised generalised rainfall, unpredictable The It is perhaps unsurprising that the the that unsurprising It perhaps is 3 In a In June 2020

FMR 64 FMR 64 cases have already been tested elsewhere with with elsewhere tested been have already cases some in and exported, be can construction climate-resistant and agriculture hydroponic of and practices technologies specific the obviously, Most of displacement. contexts for analogous here lessons several are There Lessons forclimateresilience programme. aid refugee-focused driven, solution”,own arefugee- implementing of their “allows part become to people 2019, in aspeech in argued Brahim This, requirements. for local optimised and modified be could units the case, each in Kenya; and Sudan Jordan, Chad, in camps refugee in tested were systems hydroponic Brahim’s H2Grow programme, Under the systems. low-tech of the use the in refugees Sahrawi over athousand training eventually camps, the in workshops hydroponic running began Brahim WFP, Polisario, and Oxfam from assistance With requirements. local specific to adapted be also could they Crucially, repair. and use to easier were and materials, available locally on relied cheaper, were units new These productivity. retaining while cost unit the reducing model, first his from derived units of hydroponic range a – developed staff Oxfam and WFP with –working Brahim which under established, H2Grow subsequently was called programme aWFP and funding Accelerator for Innovation selected Brahim’s was system Munich. in (WFP) World of the Programme Food initiative Accelerator Innovation the to system initial of his success the demonstrated 2017, In by themselves. Brahim solution ascalable not are units tech products). their contaminating refuse, eat often plastic camps the in (goats meat produced and milk of the quantity and quality the increasing also while of pasture search move to in need his reducing goats, own his feed to able was Brahim system, hydroponic home-built first grow.to his Using barley, was crop crop simple avery June 2020 Expensive, complicated, high- complicated, Expensive, Climate crisisandlocalcommunities 4 Taleb Brahim tends plants grown using a hydroponic system. ahydroponic using grown plants tends Brahim Taleb © Taleb Brahim themselves, approaching problems from their their from problems approaching themselves, strategies these devise to positioned best are refugees cases many in that likely is Finally, it context. that in implemented be must policies resilience worlds, climate and pre-displacement of their contexts cultural and skills practices, the retain they alike; essentially not are communities refugee that is Tindouf in resilience of climate lesson More generally, providers. the aid and communities by host account into taken be must context) that acamp in possible be not may that of production modes on reliance life, sedentary with (discomfort challenges and autonomy) pastoralist economies, regional in (involvement opportunities specific presents heritage movement, of nomadic that a history have refugees where cases In results. positive www.fmreview.org/issue64 9 10 policymaking. policymaking. inform must insights and knowledge their and level, international and local the at heard be must voices Their to move. choosing than rather to move, forced being increasingly are Turkana nomadic-pastoralists severe, more grow change climate of impacts the As ways of tackling the impacts of climate of climate impacts the ways of tackling own have their long had communities pastoralist displacement, of internal driver anew as change climate now considers world the While region. the in communities pastoralist other from counter-attacks and attacks cross-border and internal repeated with of security, state fragile its pastures. greener of water and search in place to place from livestock moving transhumance, in engage and sheep, and goats camels, We cattle, donkeys, keep borders. Ugandan and Sudanese South Ethiopian, the to Turkana County, stretches region, Kenya. Our of northwestern parts arid most the occupies and million one approximately numbers that community Turkana, anomadic-pastoralist from I hail pastoralists’ search for elusive pastures in Kenya nomadic- migration: involuntary Climate-induced strategies refugee-centred but individual challenges, disparate such tackle can policy environmental No single entanglements. of these range full the have incorporate to will strategy environmental A comprehensive analysis. the in included be must pastureland of loss and drought that means Territories Liberated of the economy nomadic the for instance, in, refugees involvement of the however, the to perspective, the Broadening livestock. (and products) of camp-raised diets the in of plastic accumulation the or patterns, rainfall irregular on focus might Tindouf in challenges environmental to approach A limited problem. of the parameters the define to chooses how one provision, of aid solutions. external applied of unilaterally pitfalls the side-stepping and perspective own Ekai Nabenyo www.fmreview.org/issue64 Turkana County is also known for known also is Turkana County perspective the from significant, It also is Climate crisisandlocalcommunities the pastoralists is available beforehand. available is pastoralists the of migration’ ‘distress aplanned about information when even proactive, than rather is, government the how reactive highlighted has Turkana experience The livestock. their move to with having of pastoralists likelihood the and patterns weather to alert be to and up reality, to wake to need Governments approaches. innovative demand region this of conditions apriority,Turkana the yet as by the faced challenges the consider not does evidently government side, its the On policies. follow to immigration pastoralists other all indeed Turkana and by the reluctance ageneral is there by government, neighbours. new their with or clash collaborate may either they where countries neighbouring into –by moving changes University ofStAndrews @matthew_porges ofSocialAnthropology,PhD student,Department Matthew Porges [email protected] Jouly. Sahrawi refugeesTaleb Brahim andSidahmed was preparedwithassistancefromThis article Territories. Liberated the and Tindouf in success promising had have already 2019 bit.ly/twitter-Brahim-22092019 4. BrahimT, SocialGoodSummit,NewYork City, 22September refugee lifeintheDadaabcampsofKenya 3. HorstC(2006)Transnational Nomads:HowSomaliscopewith www.fmreview.org/economies/angeloni-carr the Sahrawirefugeecamps’,Forced MigrationReview58 2. See Angeloni GandCarrJ(2018) ‘Animal andhumanhealthin Grievance, Performance,Disenchantment.London:Palgrave Schomerus M(Eds) of Resistanceand Analysis’, indeVries L,EnglebertP and 1. Porges M(2019)‘Western SaharaandMorocco:Complexities Largely due to a feeling of being neglected neglected of being due afeeling to Largely Secessionism inAfricanPolitics:Aspiration, . NewYork: Berghahn June 2020

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