Fragile Borderlands: Drivers of Drought Adaptation and Instability in MENA

About this project

The “Fragile Borderlands: Drivers of Drought Adaptation and Instability in MENA” project by Mercy Corps examines how drought-driven livelihood stress reshapes informal and illicit cross-border trade across three fragile border regions — the Syria–Iraq borderlands, the Lebanon–Syria frontier, and Yemen’s coastal zones. The study explores how these informal trade networks, involving food, fuel, livestock, and water, can either support climate adaptation or exacerbate insecurity, depending on governance quality, market structures, and local power dynamics. Using a comparative mixed-methods approach combining geospatial analysis, market data, and field-based qualitative research, the project aims to identify the conditions under which drought coping mechanisms stabilize livelihoods or fuel exclusion and conflict. Outputs will include peer-reviewed research, policy briefs, interactive visual maps, and stakeholder events to inform more inclusive and conflict-sensitive climate adaptation policies across the MENA region.

Published by

Prosper Global (UK) · International NGO

Countries

Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen

Sectors

Environmental research

Implemented by

Mercy Corps Europe

Published by Prosper Global (UK) to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), last updated 24 Sept 2026 and imported automatically. IATI identifier: GB-SC-SC030289-91775.

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