Social Capital and its Role in 1930s Drought Adaptation and Migration in Saskatchewan

Abstract

This research examines the role that capital, particularly social capital, plays in human adaptation to climate change through migration using the 1930s drought in Saskatchewan as the case study. Exploring the motivations of those who migrated from drought-stricken southern portion of the province to the Aspen Parkland to the north provides an understanding of how farmers and rural communities adapt to extreme climatic conditions. In a period of difficult economic and environmental conditions, when financial resources and formal education were limited for many households, farmers relied heavily on social networks to help them adapt to climate change by informing them about potential migration destinations and by helping them integrate into the new community. This project incorporated in-depth interviews with forty participants who experienced this migration along with archival data and other secondary sources, to develop an understanding of the relationship between social capital, migration, and adaptation. Insights developed through this study may be useful in better understanding future adaptation and migration responses to anthropogenic climate change.