Abstract

Climate change poses a growing threat to rural food security in West Africa, where smallholder agricultural systems are vulnerable to extreme weather events. This study examines whether and how agricultural adaptations mitigate drought impacts using a household panel dataset from eight West African countries, integrated with geo-referenced standardized precipitation-evapotranspiration index (SPEI) data. We account for unobserved heterogeneity and adaptation decision endogeneity using fixed-effects instrumental variables and two-stage residual-inclusion Poisson models. The results show that drought reduces food security; however, plot-level technical adjustments—such as improved seeds and intercropping—counteract these negative effects. Moreover, livelihood adaptations through crop diversification, characterized by species richness and spatial equity in land allocation, serve as buffers that stabilize caloric and nutritional intake. This study provides a regional perspective on smallholder climate resilience, showing that targeted technological and portfolio-based strategies can protect rural households from climate shocks.