Recent years have seen a growing interest in social assistance to address climate change impacts. However, there is still a paucity of empirical evidence of its role, particularly in conflict-affected settings.
We address this gap through a case study in the Amhara and Oromia regions of Ethiopia, exploring the lived experiences of climate change amidst recent conflicts in relation to the country’s Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP).
Using insights from qualitative and quantitative data, we document local experiences and perceptions of changes in the climate, from the 1980s drought and famine up to the current trends of increasing frequency and intensity of droughts and floods, with shifting seasonal rainfall patterns.
We find that recent trends represent important inter- and intra-annual changes that combine with conflict impacts to create significant, socially differentiated impacts on people and their livelihoods. Respondents consider the PSNP, initiated in 2005, as providing vital support for safeguarding livelihoods in the face of climate change and conflict.
We conclude that the PSNP has a key role to play in the future but must be part of a wider suite of systemic efforts to address the structural causes of vulnerability to both climate change and conflict.
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