Mobility profiles and calendars for food security and livelihoods analysis

TL;DR

This paper explores how mobility patterns and calendars can serve as indicators for food security and social vulnerability, providing a potential early warning system for livelihood shocks.

Contribution

It introduces a framework for analyzing mobility profiles and calendars to assess social vulnerability and food security risks.

Findings

Mobility changes correlate with livelihood stress.

Mobility monitoring can serve as an early warning tool.

Mobility patterns reflect social safety net effectiveness.

Abstract

Social vulnerability is defined as the capacity of individuals and social groups to respond to any external stress placed on their livelihoods and wellbeing. Mobility and migrations are relevant when assessing vulnerability since the movements of a population reflect on their livelihoods, coping strategies and social safety nets. Although in general migration characterization is complex and open to controversy, changes in mobility patterns for vulnerable population groups are likely to indicate a change in livelihoods or coping strategies. These changes can also indicate that the population groups may be exposed to new shocks; hence, monitoring of changes in mobility patterns can be a powerful early warning mechanism.