Migration, habitability and climate change in Kenya in 2050 – Faith’s story

This animated video tells the story of Faith, a young woman from a rural village in Makueni County in southern Kenya. Her story begins in the year 2030 when her parents are doing their best to adapt their farm to recurring drought and provide their children with a better future. We then jump to an aspirational scenario in 2050 when Faith has returned to work as a teacher and her village is thriving. Her story shows that while drought and other climate change impacts reduce income and restrict other potential sources of revenue for rural communities, providing access to credit and investing in education has the power to open up new opportunities so that they are less affected by climate change. 

This video builds on research undertaken by the EU-funded HABITABLE project, which examined how climate change, habitability and migration interact. As the impacts of the climate crisis combine with other risks, migration may serve as an effective adaptation strategy. However, it can also lead to increased vulnerability, and for many it is not an option, either by choice or due to a lack of resources. The links between climate change, habitability and human mobility are complex and highly context specific, with the reasons for and outcomes of migration dependent on a variety of social, political, economic, environmental and demographic factors. Developing plausible future scenarios of how global warming may shape migration in different contexts can aid the planning and implementation of measures to support adaptation, strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability. 

The video was co-developed with experts on climate change adaptation, migration and sustainable development in Kenya, and aims to support the development of people-centred solutions to the climate crisis. This video is part of a series of scenario stories produced as part of the HABITABLE project.

A Swahili-language version of this video was also produced in order to share it with local communities that participated in the HABITABLE project research.

For more information about the scenarios and their development, check out our “In search of a habitable future” report. 

Produced by: Joshua Knowles 

Directed by: Tobias Bernstein, adelphi research 

With special thanks to the team at Samuel Hall Kenya for their support.