scholarly journals Agricultural Livelihoods and Climate Change: Employing the Livelihood Vulnerability Index in Bluefields, Jamaica

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-131
Author(s):  
Kevin Lee Fath ◽  
Taniya Jayani Koswatta ◽  
Gary Wingenbach
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Crop Failure ◽  
Extension Educators ◽  
Planting Material ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
Physical Assets ◽  
Water Issues

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine agricultural livelihood vulnerability to climate change in Bluefields, Westmoreland, Jamaica based on the Livelihoods Vulnerability Index (LVI). Random sampling was used to select participants. Personal interviews were conducted with farmers using an instrument consisting of LVI components representing livelihood strategies, natural and physical assets, socio-demographic profile, social networks, water issues, food issues, natural disasters, and climate variability. LVI data were aggregated using an indexing approach to create scores for comparison across vulnerability components. The results showed farmers in Bluefields had the most amount of vulnerability in social networks and water issues. Low numbers of farmers owned their land, had contact with extension services, or used irrigation. Most farmers reported having problems with access to seeds and planting material, depended on their farms for food, and experienced frequent crop failure. Development organizations and local change agents should target the areas of greatest vulnerability illuminated by this study. Vulnerability and its contributing factors of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity, should be reassessed with the LVI and other methods to monitor changes in Bluefields over time. Implications for extension educators to assist subsistence farmers in understanding better the effects of climate change are noted.

scholarly journals Assessing Local Vulnerability to Climate Change by Using Livelihood Vulnerability Index: A Case Study of Dipang Watershed in Central Himalaya Region of Nepal

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 147-163
Author(s):  
Kapil Dhungana ◽  
Harish Bahadur Chand ◽  
Dinesh Bhandari ◽  
Abhishek Kumar ◽  
Sanjay Singh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
High Exposure ◽  
Climate Risks ◽  
Average Temperature ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change

The current study uses the livelihood vulnerability index (LVI) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change livelihood vulnerability index (IPCC-LVI) approaches to assess household’s livelihood vulnerability in the Dipang watershed located in the Central Himalayan region of Nepal. Primary data was collected through various participatory rural appraisal (PRA) tools such as direct observation, key informant interviews (KIIs), focus group discussions (FGDs) and household surveys. Similarly, data on climatic variables were collected from the nearby meteorological station over 30 years (1987-2018). The mean annual average temperature increased by 0.036°C while the average rainfall decreased by 2.30 mm. Respondents perceived a similar trend of rising temperatures, decreasing rainfall intensity, dryness in the atmosphere, and dwindling water sources. The overall LVI score (0.416) indicated that the households are vulnerable to climate change. Food (0.642) and natural disasters and climate variability (0.566) were the most vulnerable among all contributing factors. Similarly, the overall LVI-IPCC score (0.104) indicated that the households were moderately vulnerable due to high exposure (0.566), sensitivity (0.448), and low adaptive capacity (0.334). The study findings suggest an urgent need to reduce high exposure to climate risks, improved livelihood strategies, and boost agricultural productivity and health in the watershed area.

scholarly journals Assessing Vulnerability to Climate Change in Smallholder Irrigation Schemes of Zimbabwe

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 10023
Author(s):  
Liboster Mwadzingeni ◽  
Raymond Mugandani ◽  
Paramu L. Mafongoya
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Irrigation Scheme ◽  
Water Insecurity ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
Midlands Province ◽  
Smallholder Irrigation

Globally, climate change poses enormous threats to the livelihoods of rural communities in arid and semi-arid regions. Assessing the extent of vulnerability is critical to identify climate hot spots and develop appropriate adaptation policies and strategies. This paper uses the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) and the Livelihood Vulnerability Index—Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (LVI-IPCC) to compare vulnerability to climate change in the Exchange, Insukamini, and Ruchanyu smallholder irrigation schemes (SISs) in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe. A questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 317 randomly selected households. Results show higher exposure and sensitivity to climate change in the Insukamini irrigation scheme despite the higher adaptive capacity. Both LVI and LVI-IPCC show that households in Insukamini irrigation scheme are more vulnerable to climate change than in Exchange and Ruchanyu irrigation schemes, attributed to water insecurity, poor social networks, and natural disasters and climate variability. The study recommends that development and investment in Insukamini and Ruchanyu should prioritize improving social networks while Exchange should primarily focus on improving livelihood strategies. Using the LVI-IPCC framework is a key methodology for understanding the vulnerability of communities in SISs and identifying areas that need prime development and investment. These results have implications on implementing investments and livelihood policies in SISs of Zimbabwe.

scholarly journals Application of livelihood vulnerability index in evaluating household’s livelihood vulnerability to climate change in Can Gio district, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 78-84
Author(s):  
Nguyen Phuong Tan Le ◽  
◽  
Nguyen Khoi Dao ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Livelihood Strategies ◽  
Ho Chi Minh City ◽  
Viet Nam ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Demographic Profile ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change

Climate change has directly and indirectly affected the livelihood of households that rely on climate conditions for their livelihood in the coastal areas of Vietnam. This study applied the livelihood vulnerability index (LVI) to assess the vulnerability of a household’s livelihood under the effect of climate change in one of the most highly vulnerable areas of Viet Nam - the Can Gio coastal district of Ho Chi Minh city. Based on a survey of 107 households within six communes and one town located in the Can Gio district, the LVI was calculated at both district and commune scales. The results reveal that the district of Can Gio is at a moderate vulnerability level (LVI=0.303), while the Ly Nhon commune (LVI=0.334) is the most vulnerable of the seven surveyed areas. Additionally, the aspects of livelihood strategies (0.516), socio-demographic profile (0.391), and food (0.385) are critical to the determination of the livelihood vulnerability of the seven surveyed communes.

Environmental Vulnerability to Climate Change in Mediterranean Basin

2017 ◽  
pp. 61-96
Author(s):  
Ahmed Karmaoui
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Environmental Vulnerability ◽  
The North ◽  
Mediterranean Countries ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Heterogeneous Region

The Mediterranean basin (MB) connects the south with the north and the East (Europe, Africa & Asia).It is a highly heterogeneous region where natural and anthropogenic activities interact in complex ways with climate variability. Climate change (CC) impacts are already defined on the Mediterranean. That is why the time has come to formulate a long-term plan for adaptation to CC of the MB. In this chapter the author aims (i) the assessment of the environmental vulnerability under CC provided in the BM during the last 30 years, (ii) the determination of environmental vulnerability indicators that the author call Major Common Indicators (MCI), and (iii) identification of adaptation strategies based on these indicators. For this analysis the author used the results of the Environmental Vulnerability Index (EVI), developed by SOPAC. In this paper, the author extracted, compiled, compared and analyzed the data of the EVI of 8 selected Mediterranean countries; 4 countries in North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt) and 4 Southern Europe (Spain, France, Italy and Greece).

scholarly journals Measuring Structural Economic Vulnerability in Africa

2014 ◽  
pp. 406-426
Author(s):  
Patrick Guillaumont
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Fragile States ◽  
Structural Vulnerability ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Physical Vulnerability ◽  
State Fragility ◽  
Economic Vulnerability ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change

This chapter examines the structural vulnerability of Africa’s economy and the methodological issues involved in measuring it. It begins by proposing a conceptual framework for measuring economic structural vulnerability that distinguishes it from general vulnerability, from physical vulnerability to climate change, and from state fragility. It then considers the main features and evolution of structural economic vulnerability in Africa using an economic vulnerability index. It suggests that structural economic vulnerability is higher in the continent than in other developing economies, reinforced by physical vulnerability to climate change. In addition, Africa has the highest proportion of fragile states among all continents. Finally, the chapter indicates that structural vulnerability, if adequately measured, may be useful as a criterion for the international allocation of official development assistance and of concessional resources.

scholarly journals Assessing the Vulnerability of Agriculture Systems to Climate Change in Coastal Areas: A Novel Index

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 4771
Author(s):  
Komali Kantamaneni ◽  
Louis Rice ◽  
Komali Yenneti ◽  
Luiza C. Campos
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Andhra Pradesh ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Cropping Patterns ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change

This study proposes a novel index to evaluate agricultural vulnerability to climate change in coastal areas, using the case of Andhra Pradesh, the state with the second longest coastline in India. Field data was collected from more than 1000 farmers (involved in over 50 varieties of crops) in 22 riverine and coastal case study areas. Data was collected through site visits, surveys and five workshops conducted between November 2018 and June 2019. Based on the collected data sets, a new Agricultural Coastal Vulnerability Index (AGCVI) was developed and applied to the 22 sites located in two districts (Krishna and Guntur) of Coastal Andhra Pradesh. The analysis revealed that the areas with three crop seasons (Kharif, Rabi and Zaid) per year are highly vulnerable to climate change. On the other hand, sites with one crop season (Kharif) per annum are the least vulnerable to climate change. Moreover, grains (particularly rice), flowers and fruit crops are more susceptible to climate change and its induced impacts. Rice is no longer a profitable crop in the case study areas partly as a result of unfavourable weather conditions, inadequate insurance provision and lack of government support for farmers. Cumulatively, all these circumstances impact farmers’ incomes and socio-cultural practices: this is leading to a marriage crisis, with a reduction in the desirability of matrimony to farmers. These findings provide valuable information that can support climate and agriculture policies, as well as sustainable cropping patterns among farmers’ communities in coastal areas of India in the future.

scholarly journals Socioenvironmental Vulnerability to Climate Change: Conditions of Coastal Municipalities in Pará State

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Ronielly da Silva Santos ◽  
Maria Isabel Vitorino ◽  
Luci Cajueiro Carneiro Pereira ◽  
Marcia Aparecida da Silva Pimentel ◽  
Ana Flávia Quintão
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Strong Influence ◽  
Vulnerability Index ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Climate Scenarios ◽  
The West ◽  
Climate Change Projections ◽  
Island Region ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
Marajó Island

Abstract The aim of the current study is to analyze the vulnerability of coastal municipalities in Pará State, based on the integration of socioeconomic, epidemiological and climatic indicators. Data were combined to climate scenarios such as Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5, depending on the Municipal Vulnerability Index (MVI). Results have shown that the Sensitivity (SeI) and Sociodemographic (SdI) Indices had strong influence on the current vulnerability of the investigated municipalities. The association between current vulnerability index and future climate change projections has shown that municipalities located in Marajó Island region are the most vulnerable ones - to the West of the study site, where MVI ranged from 1 (in Afuá) to 0.55 (in Soure), for scenarios 4.5 and 8.5, respectively. The current results can contribute to the effective adoption of public policies focused on prioritizing the most vulnerable municipalities and on preparing them to deal with adverse aspects of climate change.

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