Norwegian University of Life Sciences Department of International Environment and Development Studies, Noragric Faculty of Landscape and Society Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) Thesis 2019:16 Small scale fishing communities’ perceptions of climate change and its impact on livelihoods, gender roles and adaptive capacity – A case of Lake Malawi. Småskala fiskesamfunns oppfatninger om klimaendringer og innvirkning på levekår, kjønnsroller og adaptiv kapasitet – et kasus fra Lake Malawi Moses Majid Limuwa Small scale fishing communities’ perceptions of climate change and its impact on livelihoods, gender roles and adaptive capacity – A case of Lake Malawi. Småskala fiskesamfunns oppfatninger om klimaendringer og innvirkning på levekår, kjønnsroller og adaptiv kapasitet – et kasus fra Lake Malawi. Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) Thesis Moses Majid Limuwa Department of International Environment and Development Studies Faculty of Landscape and Society Norwegian University of Life Sciences Ås - 2019 Thesis number 2019:16 ISSN 1894-6402 ISBN 978-82-575-1551-5 ii Table of Contents Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................................................... iii List of papers .............................................................................................................................................................. v Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................................ vii Dedication .................................................................................................................................................................. ix Summary ..................................................................................................................................................................... xi Sammendrag ............................................................................................................................................................ xiii List of Figures .......................................................................................................................................................... xv List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................................ xv List of acronyms and abbreviations ................................................................................................................ xvii PART ONE: Synthesis Chapter ........................................................................................................................... 1 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Background........................................................................................................................................................ 3 1.2 Context of the research ................................................................................................................................... 4 2. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE THESIS .............................................................................................. 9 3. MALAWI FISHERIES ............................................................................................................................ 11 3.1 Description of major water bodies ....................................................................................................... 11 3.2 Fisheries development ............................................................................................................................ 13 3.3 Fish catch trends ...................................................................................................................................... 15 3.4 Aquaculture .............................................................................................................................................. 16 3.5 Malawi fisheries legal framework .......................................................................................................... 18 3.6 Fisheries management system ............................................................................................................... 19 4. CLIMATE TRENDS FOR MALAWI ................................................................................................ 23 5. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ....................................................................................................... 27 5.1 Vulnerability context ............................................................................................................................... 28 5.2 Transforming structure and processes ................................................................................................. 31 iii 5.3 Livelihood outcomes ............................................................................................................................... 32 6. METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................................. 35 6.1 Study area .................................................................................................................................................. 35 6.2 Philosophical standpoints....................................................................................................................... 37 6.3 Research design and data collection ..................................................................................................... 40 6.4 Data collection preparations .................................................................................................................. 40 6.5 Primary data collection ........................................................................................................................... 40 6.6 Secondary data collection ....................................................................................................................... 42 6.7 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................................ 43 6.8 Validity and reliability .............................................................................................................................. 44 6.9 Ethical Considerations ............................................................................................................................ 45 6.10 Limitations of the research ................................................................................................................ 46 7. SUMMARY OF PAPERS ....................................................................................................................... 47 7.1 Paper I: Evaluation of small-scale fishers’ perceptions on climate change and their coping strategies: Insights from Lake Malawi ............................................................................................................... 47 7.2 Paper II: A gendered perspective on fish value chain, livelihoods patterns and coping strategies under perceived climate change - Insights from Malawi smallscale fishers................................................. 49 7.3 Paper III: Is fish farming an illusion for Lake Malawi riparian communities under environmental changes? .................................................................................................................................................................. 51 7.4 Paper IV: Development initiatives, Livelihood Assets, and Adaptive Capacity ............................ 53 among Lake Malawi Fishing Communities ....................................................................................................... 53 8. CONCLUSIONS ....................................................................................................................................... 55 9. RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................................................................... 59 10. REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................... 61 11. APPENDIX: Household survey questionnaires ............................................................................. 81 PART TWO: Compilation of Papers............................................................................................................... 121 iv List of papers Paper I Limuwa, M. M., Sitaula, B. K., Njaya, F. & Storebakken, T. (2018). Evaluation of Small-Scale Fishers’ Perceptions on Climate Change and their coping strategies: Insights from Lake Malawi. Climate, 6 (34): 1- 23. Paper II Limuwa, M. M., & Synnevåg, G. (2018). A gendered perspective on fish value chain, livelihoods patterns and coping strategies under climate change - insights from Malawi small-scale fisheries. African Journal of Food Nutrition, Agriculture and Development, 18 (2): 13525-13544. Paper III Limuwa, M. M., Singini, W. & Storebakken, T. (2018). Is Fish Farming an Illusion for Lake Malawi Riparian Communities under Environmental Changes? Sustainability, 10 (5): 1-23. Paper IV Limuwa, M. M. & Sjaastad, E.O. Development initiatives, Livelihood Assets, and Adaptive Capacity among Lake Malawi Fishing Communities (Manuscript).