Household Level Vulnerability Research Articles

Household-level demographic and socio-economic vulnerability in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic in rural Central Vietnam

This study adopted the Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) method using household-level demographic and socio-economic data to measure the vulnerability of rural households in Central Vietnam to the COVID-19 pandemic. It found that most households suffered from a partial or total loss of employment and a remarkable decrease in household income during the challenging time of the COVID-19 spread. The index scores demonstrated which characteristics and which components were more or less responsible for household-level vulnerability. The findings of the study found that low educational attainment of household heads, low engagement in stable jobs and limited access to the support from local government, grassroots organizations and groups were among the most constructing the vulnerability of the surveyed households to the pandemic.The study suggests that any response and adaptation strategies in short-term or long-term should firstly and ultimately pay special attention to building and enhancing household-level capacities and strengthening local governance so that the households and communities can be more resilient to any disastrous events in the future. It also agreed that the SoVI would be a viable technique in measuring place-based vulnerability and providing empirical evidence for more appropriate responses and prevention measures to crisis and pandemic like COVID-19.

Mapping and vulnerability assessment in urban slums of Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts of Uttarakhand: A Cross-sectional Survey

Background: With increasing urbanization, number of urban slums is also rising. The health facilities and indicators in urban slums are poor as compared to other urban population. The present study presents an analysis of the health problems, utilization of health services and vulnerability of urban slums. Aims & Objectives: To map the slums in urban areas and assess the vulnerability of households. Methodology: The study was conducted in all urban slums of five cities of Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts namely Haldwani, Ramnagar, Rudrapur, Jaspur and Kashipur. Group discussions involving community members, ward surveys by ASHA workers and household level vulnerability assessment were done using standard format according to “Guidelines and Tools for Vulnerability Mapping and Assessment of Urban Health, 2017”. Results: Most urban slum dwellers are daily wage laborers with major population suffering mainly from diabetes, hypertension, respiratory infection. Lack of drugs and diagnostic facilities are the major concerns. Infrastructure needs strengthening in most of the slums. Around three fourth of population belonged to vulnerable group with remaining in highly vulnerable group. Conclusion: There are social problems in urban slums like illiteracy, lack of awareness, unemployment which worsen the health problems. So, a holistic approach is needed for the solution.

Economic impact of drought on agrarian society: The case study of a village in Maharashtra, India

The focus of this paper is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the distributional impacts of disaster, especially the impact of drought on land and income, through a longitudinal study (drought year and one year after the drought) in Raikhel Village, Maharashtra, India. The key distinction of the paper is to assess the impact of the drought at the household level based on the landholding structure in the village. The paper approaches the impact of disaster in two ways: (a) by looking at the changes in land ownership as well as income due to drought based on the landholding categories in the village, and (b) by identifying the determinants of household level vulnerability due to drought using a regression model. This study shows that income from non-agriculture sources played a significant role in minimising the losses and damage as well as facilitating the recovery from the disaster. Following the drought, households moved from agriculture to non-agriculture livelihood, which are more incentivizing, as well as livelihood that is relatively less vulnerable to the disaster. The approach of the study helps in identifying the vulnerability pattern as well as protective measures that support households to cope with the disaster.

Does climate change leads to severe household-level vulnerability? Evidence from the Western Ghats of Kerala, India

Due to climate change, erratic and extreme rainfall events are rising in Kerala, India. This, in turn, is triggering landslides and floods in the Western Ghats of Kerala. Accordingly, this study analyzes the assessment and distribution of household level vulnerability toward climate change among the occupational categories in the Western Ghats of Kerala. Based on landslide data of Kerala for the years 2018 and 2019, five villages from the Idukki district of Kerala that accounts for the highest number of landslides are selected as the study region. The landslides and floods have either entirely or partially destroyed 3367 households in the study region during 2018 and 2019. Among these, 348 families are chosen for the study. We have adopted a stratified random sampling technique. The households belonging to all occupational categories are included in the sample. To facilitate the analysis, we have developed the concept of adaptive capacity entitlement to analyze the household-level vulnerability differences among occupational categories. Accordingly, data is elicited using an interview schedule and analyzed using robust logistic regression models. The results show that agrarian households are significantly vulnerable to landslides and floods. Among agrarian households, agricultural laborers tend to be the most vulnerable. A substantial number of agricultural laborer households live in hazard-prone regions, resulting in unequally distributed exposure to climatic hazards. The study reveals that the family's historic wealth (landholding) plays a significant role in households' capacity to attain entitlement. Besides, the entitlement enables the household to migrate to safer locations. The study highlights the need to frame a holistic climate adaptation policy for the region. For this reason, a sustainable land use policy has to be developed. Consequently, we recommend further studies to analyze the prospects and challenges of rehabilitation as well as land use regulation policies.

COVID-19 and the gendered impacts on adolescent wellbeing: Evidence from a cross-sectional study of locally adapted measures in Ethiopia, Jordan, and Palestine.

SummaryBackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic and associated policy responses have interrupted services, increased financial stress, and driven social isolation, with acute impacts for adolescents. This study explores relationships between gender, COVID-19 vulnerability, social protection, and adolescent wellbeing in three diverse contexts: Ethiopia, Jordan, and Palestine.MethodsThis study presents findings from a quantitative phone survey with adolescents in Ethiopia, Jordan, and Palestine (n = 5752) on household-level vulnerability to COVID-19-related shocks, household-level social protection (cash transfers or food aid), and locally adapted outcome measures designed to capture the gendered impacts of COVID-19 (collected between November 22, 2020 and February 25, 2021). We examine the relationship between each outcome and household-level COVID-19 vulnerability and social protection (and their interaction) using multivariate regressions, adjusting for adolescent and household characteristics.FindingsFor all adolescents, increased vulnerability to COVID-19-related shocks is associated with worse outcomes for resilient coping and time spent on domestic tasks and care work. Across samples, girls spent over two additional hours on domestic and care work compared to boys. Girls in more vulnerable households experienced greater gendered constraints on behaviour. We find no association between receipt of social protection and adolescent wellbeing, and find that it only moderates the effect of COVID-19 vulnerability for less vulnerable households. Disability status, being out of school, and experiencing child marriage are also associated with adverse outcomes.InterpretationOur study highlights that the pandemic has exacerbated underlying gender inequalities across adolescents in three very different settings, and that existing social safety nets are not adequate to fully address these impacts, particularly for the most vulnerable.FundingThis work was supported by UK aid through a grant from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office to the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) longitudinal research study; the EMERGE project (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grants: OPP1163682 and INV018007; PI Anita Raj) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean.

Vulnerability of Fishery-Based Livelihoods to Climate Change in Coastal Communities in Central Vietnam

In the context of increasing climate change, fishery-based livelihoods as major means of income and well-beings for millions of population in coastal communities around the world are most affected. Yet, available information how fishery-based livelihood system at local level are vulnerable to climate change, especially in developing countries is very limited. Using an indicator-based vulnerability assessment framework, this study examined the household-level vulnerability of fishery-based livelihoods in two coastal communities in Central Vietnam. The results showed that the nature and degree of livelihood vulnerability to climate change among fishing households depend on their own characteristics and conditions as well as accessibility to livelihood diversification opportunities. Developing appropriate adaptation policies and coastal management measures to reduce livelihood vulnerability should enhance positive indicators of household’s adaptive capacity and create a better environment for alternative livelihood opportunities.

Vulnerability of Smallholder Farmers to Climate Change-Induced Shocks in East Hararghe Zone, Ethiopia

Vulnerability assessment varies widely across households, countries, and regions. Though many previous studies assessed vulnerability to climate change, their unit of analysis was aggregate. Therefore, the objective of this study was to measure the vulnerability of smallholder farmers to climate change at the household level and identify its determinant factors in east Hararghe zone. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select districts, kebeles, and sample respondents. Vulnerability as expected poverty approach was used to measure household-level vulnerability. Logit model was also used to assess factors contributing to households’ vulnerability. The study revealed that 73% of households were vulnerable to climate-induced shocks. Households with better farm experience, land size, livestock ownership, access to credit, access to extension service, social capital, access to climate information, non-farm income, and headed by a male were not vulnerable to climate change; whereas households who were living in low and midland agro-ecologies, far from the market, and participating in productive safety-net programs were vulnerable to climate change. The study indicated that the vulnerability of smallholder farmers was sensitive to the minimum income required to maintain daily life. Income-generating activities that supplement farm income should be well designed in policy to reduce the vulnerability of smallholder farmers.

Flood vulnerability and its influencing factors

Riverine floods are the major weather-related disaster affecting both agriculture production and physical infrastructures in Nepal. Climatic factors aggravated by anthropogenic measures contribute to increasing household-level vulnerability in the country. We use face-to-face interview data collected from 217 households located in the Saptari district of Nepal to understand the household-level vulnerability of farmers impacted by floods. Our model combines variables of household sensitivity, adaptive capacity, and exposure to flooding in an integrated vulnerability index to assess the vulnerability status of households and factors influencing the vulnerabilities. Findings indicate a high vulnerability level of most households stems from higher exposure to flood and lower adaptive capacity. Using the ordinal response model, we find that indicators such as credit access, migration, female-proportion, and perception and familiarity with flood incidences positively influence the vulnerability. However, gender, livestock owned, per capita income, adaptation measures, and distance to water bodies have a negative influence on the vulnerability level. These findings can be used to tailor micro-level policies to minimize the impact of floods in the district. Governmental level effort, such as river control strategy, is needed to minimize the flood risk at a larger scale in the future.

Household level vulnerability in an Indian mangrove socio-ecological system

ABSTRACT The Sundarbans (West Bengal) is highly vulnerable to hydro-meteorological hazards such as coastal storm surges, flooding, cyclones and other climatic events. These events often lead to loss of productivity in ecosystem-based livelihoods, biodiversity, ecosystem goods and services. Communities directly dependent on socio-ecological systems for primary livelihood need to strengthen their resilience for early recovery and prepare for the impacts of future hazards. Current policies often assume that households are equally vulnerable to hazards. However, there is no robust empirical study available on the level and distribution of vulnerability amongst marginalised households. This study compared the levels of vulnerability amongst 500 households in five villages situated in the Mangrove ecosystem of the Indian Sundarban using the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVIs). The results uncover significant variations in levels and distribution of vulnerability between the villages. These findings could be used to tailor need-based bespoke adaptation and mitigation interventions to combat climate-induced variability or hazard events in the future. In order to optimise the benefits of policy or program for strengthening resilience of these households – this article recommends that policymakers consider micro-level differences in levels and distribution of vulnerability.

Household Level Vulnerability Analysis—Index and Fuzzy Based Methods

Coastal vulnerability assessment due to climate change impacts, particularly for sea level rise, has become an essential part of coastal management all over the world. For the planning and implementation of adaptation measures at the household level, large-scale analysis is necessary. The main aim of this research is to investigate and propose a simple and viable assessment method that includes three key geospatial parameters: elevation, distance to coastline, and building footprint area. Two methods are proposed—one based on the Index method and another on fuzzy logic. While the former method standardizes the quantitative parameters to unit-less vulnerability sub-indices using functions (avoiding crisp classification) and summarizes them, the latter method turns quantitative parameters into linguistic variables and further implements fuzzy logic. For comparison purposes, a third method is considered: the existing Index method using crisp values for vulnerability sub-indices. All three methods were implemented, and the results show significant differences in their vulnerability assessments. A discussion on the advantages and disadvantages led to the following conclusion: although the fuzzy logic method satisfies almost all the requirements, a less complex method based on functions can be applied and still yields significant improvement.

Differential climate change vulnerability among different poverty groups in southwestern Bangladesh: lessons for adaptation planning

This article draws on research findings from fieldwork undertaken in Mongla Upazila of Southwest Bangladesh from 2018 to 2019 to analyse how climate-related vulnerability and adaptation is differentiated among different poverty groups. The principal aim of this research is to investigate complex relationship between vulnerability, poverty, and adaptation in a case study carried out in two rural cyclone-prone areas of southwest Bangladesh, focusing on household level vulnerability and adaptive responses to climate change. The quantitative research strategy was adopted in this research. Specific methods utilized for the data collection process included in-depth questionnaire survey of 98 households. The significance of the results was in the differences of poverty and adaptation choices of the households with differential climate change vulnerability which revealed a complex relationship within vulnerability, poverty and adaptation. This research also highlighted that the poor households with high vulnerability could highly be adaptive through adopting a significant number of adaptations to deal with sudden and gradual changes in climate, but the results also suggest that households who are not poor who have usually low vulnerability, likely to have less adaptive responses than households who have high vulnerability. Moreover, this research is an attempt to reveal the complex relationship among vulnerability, poverty and adaptation that may help to develop more effective adaptation framework than before to deal with climate variability and change.

English

Climate variability and change are some of the most pressing environmental challenges in semi-arid Kenya and Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) and are associated with persistent droughts, dry spells and erratic rains. The present study aimed at determining exposure and adaptation mechanisms among selected small-scale farmers cultivating drought tolerant crops in Wote, Makueni County, Eastern Kenya in the period 2003 to 2013. The sampled 120 farmers cultivate sorghum, cow peas and pigeon peas, which are some of the dominant multipurpose crops. Data collection methods included the use of semi-structured questionnaires. Results indicated that household level vulnerability was caused by exposure to extreme events: Drought (100%) and erratic rains (59%). Key drought adaptation means were drought resistant crops, 65%; terracing, 28%; and crop diversification, 13%. A multiple regression model, R2=0.319, indicated that age, gender and land size influenced adaptation choices significantly i²<0.05=0.027, 0.043 and 0.011, respectively. The results reveal prevailing exposure to extreme events at household level and further existing influence of responses by household social characteristics. From the results, the study mainly recommends adoption of alternative income activities, including on farm value addition, coupling of indigenous and modern adaptation mechanisms and provision of comprehensive climate information services. Key words: Climate change and variability, vulnerability, adaptation, smallholder farmers, semi-arid, Kenya.

Urban heat and air pollution: A framework for integrating population vulnerability and indoor exposure in health risk analyses

Urban growth and climate change will exacerbate extreme heat events and air pollution, posing considerable health challenges to urban populations. Although epidemiological studies have shown associations between health outcomes and exposures to ambient air pollution and extreme heat, the degree to which indoor exposures and social and behavioral factors may confound or modify these observed effects remains underexplored. To address this knowledge gap, we explore the linkages between vulnerability science and epidemiological conceptualizations of risk to propose a conceptual and analytical framework for characterizing current and future health risks to air pollution and extreme heat, indoors and outdoors. Our framework offers guidance for research on climatic variability, population vulnerability, the built environment, and health effects by illustrating how health data, spatially resolved ambient data, estimates of indoor conditions, and household-level vulnerability data can be integrated into an epidemiological model. We also describe an approach for characterizing population adaptive capacity and indoor exposure for use in population-based epidemiological models. Our framework and methods represent novel resources for the evaluation of health risks from extreme heat and air pollution, both indoors and outdoors.

Urban Households‘ Vulnerability to Multidimensional Poverty in Eastern Ethiopia

Household level vulnerability analyses are becoming main issue in economics literature. Yet very few empirical works have been done to examine the extent of Eastern Ethiopia urban (Dira Dawa, Harar and Jigjiga towns) households‘ vulnerability to multidimensional poverty. This paper tried to fill the gap by using a survey that was conducted to collect information on household‘s characteristics, socioeconomic status, shocks experience and responses to shocks during the year 2016. Unlike conventional studies of household vulnerability, this study calculates household‘s probability of experiencing a broad and non-monetary characterization of poverty: the multidimensional poverty index using Structural Equation and Tobit model. The Structural Equation Model result revealed that, the health and education dimensions of multidimensional poverty significantly contributed a lot to households‘ vulnerability to multidimensional poverty. Based on the Tobit model result households‘ vulnerability to multidimensional poverty would be reduced if the household is wealthier, better educated healthier, employed and has the practice of reducing the size of meals at the time of shock. Contrary to this, if the household has large family size, prone to health problem, and has not developed the culture of reducing the number of meals per day, there is high risk of vulnerability to multidimensional poverty. Hence, the study recommended that there is a dire need for policies and programs that can improve wealth and education statuses of household members, create employment opportunity, promote family planning, improved health situation and accessibility of food for the vulnerable households.

The erosive effects of small disasters on household absorptive capacity in Niamey: a nested HEA approach

The Household Economy Approach (HEA) is a tool routinely used to monitor household-level vulnerability to food security shocks in rural sub-Saharan Africa. Efforts are now focused on applying the HEA in urban contexts. Previous work has shown specific limitations to this method when applied to cities, where livelihoods are diverse, social capital is especially important for managing shocks, and multiple hazards interact. The paper proposes a household resilience assessment tool that incorporates elements of the HEA to provide potential for a joined-up rural–urban output, but that includes additional data and specific analytical approaches in recognition of urban contexts. The tool is piloted in Niamey, Niger. The experience showed collection of the required data to be challenging. Results identified low levels of resilience amongst flood-exposed households associated with inequalities in social capital ties and variable access to food and security post-flood. Responding to loss, households expended savings and took on debt. This has implications for focused resilience building and flood response planning.

Household vulnerability mapping in Africa's Rift Valley

This study develops an interdisciplinary framework to investigate the relationship between environmental processes and human wellbeing that can be adapted to any geographic location. Based on the use and availability of open-source data, the methodology advanced in this research has the capacity to examine household-level drivers of vulnerability that are rarely accounted for in regional and global indices. A household level vulnerability analysis is conducted for four countries – Malawi, Uganda, Rwanda, and Ethiopia. This research seeks to develop a vulnerability model that can be both applied to vulnerable countries in the East African Rift and offer insight into internal dynamic processes and drivers of vulnerability. The enhanced methodology presented in this paper can assist stakeholders and policy-makers in determining what drives vulnerability at a household level, where vulnerable populations are, and suggest what type of aid to target specific locations to be of greatest benefit.

English

English

Derivation of a household-level vulnerability index for empirically testing measures of adaptive capacity and vulnerability

Recent studies have projected significant climate change impacts in Africa. In order to understand what this means in terms of human well-being at local level, we need to understand how households can cope and adapt. This need has led many authors to argue for approaches to adaptation that are based on vulnerability analysis. Vulnerability is one of the key terms in the climate change literature, but little progress has been made in the field of its quantification. Typically, indicators are combined according to a weighing scheme, with the identification of indicators and the weighing schemes based on expert judgment rather than empirical evidence. In addition, most quantitative assessments are applied to countries or other administrative units, whereas managing climate risk has traditionally been the responsibility of households. We therefore focus on the adaptive capacity of households. We analyze the coping strategies and vulnerability to climatic stresses of agro-pastoralists in Mozambique and test the validity of a number of commonly used vulnerability indicators. We derive a household-level vulnerability index based on survey data. We find that only 9 out of 26 indicators tested exhibit a statistically significant relationship with households’ vulnerability. In total, they explain about one-third of the variation in vulnerability between households, confirming the need for more research on underlying determinants and processes of vulnerability. With inclusion of local knowledge, our study findings can be used for local targeting, priority setting and resource allocation. Complemented with studies analyzing climate change impacts and findings from country-level adaptive capacity studies, governmental policy can be informed.

Vulnerability of smallholder rural households to food insecurity in Eastern Ethiopia

Although several empirical methodologies as to how best assess vulnerability to food insecurity have been proposed in the literature, none of these has evolved into a unanimously accepted approach. This article contributes to this literature by adapting the Vulnerability as Expected Poverty approach from poverty analysis methodology with the aim of scrutinizing factors determining household level vulnerability to food insecurity based on cross-section data collected from 277 randomly selected households in eastern Ethiopia. Vulnerability to food insecurity was strongly associated with several factors which included family size, size of cultivated landholding, soil fertility status of plots, access to irrigation, number of extension visits, use of fertilizer and improved seed. The probability that any given household’s food consumption expenditure would fall below a specified cut-off level has also been computed and vulnerable households identified. The total number of vulnerable households (111) was found to be greater than those who are currently food insecure (103). This implies that design and implementation of food security policies and strategies need to focus not only on those who are observed to be currently food insecure, but also on setting up social protection mechanisms to help prevent households from falling more deeply into food insecurity in the future.

Household-level vulnerability to drought in hill agriculture of Nepal: implications for adaptation planning

Climate change-related drought in recent years has emerged as a source of household-level vulnerability in rainfed hill agriculture of Nepal. The farmers cannot grow crops when there is no rainfall during the cropping season. They have weak adaptive capacity against drought due to the poor asset base and low access to services and facilities. The government also has limited resources to support these farmers, which calls for prioritising both the adaptation indicators and beneficiary farmers. However, current literature on vulnerability is inadequate, and there is still uncertainty in measurement at household level. Amidst this uncertainty, this research uses an objective method of vulnerability analysis, applying multivariate independence techniques. Information collected by participatory rural appraisal (PRA) and household survey of 158 farms from August 2008 to January 2009 was used. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to prioritise the indicators, and cluster analysis (CA) was used to classify farmers into different vulnerability groups. The indicators, arranged from highest to lowest priority, were access to land, access to irrigation, employment diversification, access to markets, crop–livestock integration, access to social networks and access to agricultural training. Similarly, 63%, 18% and 19% of all farms were classified as highly vulnerable, moderately vulnerable and less vulnerable, respectively. The article then discusses constraints and relevant areas of adaptation interventions for each vulnerability group of farmers.