Rainfall Variations and Child Mortality in Sahelian Region: Results from a Comparative Analysis in Burkina Faso And Mali

Sabine J.F Henry, Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix , Belgium
Stéphanie Dos Santos, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)

Apart from the classical determinants, ecological factors have a strong influence on child survival in rural subsistence societies. For example, persistence of unfavourable climatic conditions may lead to a sharp reduction of the food production. Conversely more rain affect child survival in environments dominated by malaria and water borne diseases. This communication presents a comparative analysis which combines exceptionally reliable multi-source data in event-history models, to understand how rainfall variations may influence child survival in Sahel, with accuracy at fine spatial and temporal resolutions. Two countries are compared, Burkina Faso and Mali, which experience high levels of child mortality and high rainfall disparities within each country. A first case study has already highlighted how child survival depends on rainfall conditions, with specific patterns of rainfall variations and children’s mortality relationships in each agro-climatic region burkinabè. This communication aims to compare these results with those obtained in Mali.