Study of 40,000 cases links Somalia migration mainly to water scarcity

A study published in Nature Food by researchers from the Politecnico di Milano and the University of California at Berkeley provides forward-thinking answers to the debate on the role of environmental stresses on migration processes. The analysis, conducted on a dataset of 40,000 cases of environmental migration in Somalia and led by Professor Maria Cristina Rulli, coordinator of the Glob3ScienCE (Global Studies on Sustainable Security in a Changing Environment) Lab, shows that the main reasons for these displacements can be attributed to water scarcity. Drought, the insufficient water content of the soil with respect to the needs of agriculture, and food insecurity caused as a result, directly affect Somalia's agricultural and pastoral communities, which represent about 80% of the national population.