L.C.M.M. (Lonneke Cornelia Margaretha Maria) Weterings

Lonneke Weterings is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship. She obtained her MSc in International Management / CEMS (2024) and BSc in International Business Administration (2022) at the Rotterdam School of Management. As a management scholar with an interest in climate change adaptation, Lonneke focuses on topics related to climate change impact and organizing in response to its challenges. In particular, she explores how small firms in the agricultural sector in the Global South organize around the implications of climate change.

Abstract
The Global South has contributed minimally to climate change yet suffers the most from its impacts. Global coffee production, mainly cultivated in the Global South, has experienced a decrease in quantity and quality due to rising temperatures that harm coffee beans. Similarly, vanilla crops, largely grown in Madagascar, have endured severe cyclones and storms which destroyed them before they could fully nature. This disparity highlights the urgent need for climate change adaptation, as the effects are already being felt.

Firms in the Global South have to navigate climate challenges without the robust regulatory frameworks available in the Global North, particularly those in the agricultural sector, which is closely tied to natural systems and employs a large portion of the population. This research explores how such firms adapt to climate impacts, moving beyond a solely regulatory perspective. Understanding their strategies can inform effective practices and solutions, aiding policymakers and NGOs in supporting these vulnerable regions.

Hence, in this PhD project, I address how firms in the Global South respond to the implications of climate change taking a qualitative approach. I start with theoretically exploring how firms, through their internal decision-making processes, deal with the cumulative impact of climate change challenges (study 1). Then I qualitatively explore how farmers in the Global South are impacted by climate change and how they subsequently organize around the changes (study 2). In addition, I study effective climate change adaptation strategies that allow for resiliency among farmers (study 3).