SOCIAL DYNAMICS, VULNERABILITY AND COMMUNITY ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE RISKS IN DANGBO, BENIN

Abstract

The commune of Dangbo, located in the Ouémé Valley in southern Benin, is exposed to major climate risks: flooding, droughts and riverbank erosion weigh directly on agriculture and fishing, the pillars of local household economies. Beyond their physical dimension, these risks reveal social dynamics and unevenly distributed vulnerabilities, shaped by community organization, local knowledge and households' capacity for action. Drawing on the tools of development sociology, this article examines how these social dynamics structure exposure to climate risks and the community adaptation deployed by the populations of Dangbo. The study combines an analysis of historical climate data, collected from the National Meteorological Agency of Benin over the period 1970-2023, with a socio-anthropological survey of 183 households and 38 key informants (village chiefs, community leaders), combining structured questionnaires and focus group discussions. The results show that floods and droughts differentially affect agricultural production (maize, rice) and fishery resources, and are accompanied by progressive riverbank erosion that undermines agricultural landholdings. Faced with these hardships, communities are not mere victims: they mobilize a repertoire of responses rooted in local knowledge and proximity solidarities (resilient crop varieties, elevated housing, agroecological practices) that constitute a form of social capital in the service of collective resilience. The article argues for climate risk management that combines technical infrastructure with the strengthening of community organizational capacities and local governance.