Rural Livelihoods at a Crossroads: Climate Change and Artisanal Mining

In spite of a growing body of literature on the effects of climate change, it remains unclear how climate variations are impacting labour dynamics and production capacities in the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM)-agriculture nexus. This study integrates the concept of ‘livelihood diversification’ with ‘cocoa-climate variations’ discussions to empirically examine how climate effects have created space and conditions for labour shifts from the agrarian to the ASM economy. Findings from the study suggest that such rapid shift does not only reflect the failure of structural adjustments programmes in the agricultural sector. The dramatic changes in weather patterns, resulting in consistently low crop yields, and in turn reduced income have forced farmers and landowners to seek for alternative ways to exploiting their lands to support their livelihood. Providing novel insight into how climate-related shocks can be-come key push factors of farmers’ diversification strategies.