Household Livelihood Vulnerability to Climate Change in West China

Climate change disproportionately affects natural resource-dependent communities in the ecologically vulnerable regions of western China. This study used the household livelihood vulnerability index under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (HLV-IPCC) to assess vulnerability. Data were collected from 823 households in Ningxia, Gansu, Guangxi, and Yunnan provinces, these being ecologically vulnerable regions in China. With a composite HLVI-IPCC and multiple regression model, the factors that affect households’ adaptive capability to HLVI-IPCC was estimated. Results indicate that Ningxia is the most vulnerable community, while Guangxi is the least vulnerable community across all indices. Moreover, Gansu has the heaviest sensitivity and exposure to climate change, whereas Ningxia has the highest adaptive capability to climate change. In addition, the age of household head and distance of the home to the town center had significant negative impacts on households’ adaptive capacity to HLVI-IPCC. The results also suggest that the HLVI assessment can provide an effective tool for local authorities to formulate prioritizing strategies with promoting climate-resilient development and increasing long-term adaptive capacity.

Sustainable Rural Livelihood and Poverty Reduction Strategies

This chapter presents the framework of sustainable livelihoods. The interests of this chapter derive from three issues: (1) How can one determine who in the population achieves a sustainable livelihood and who does not? That is, how does sustainable livelihood assist in eliminating poverty and reduce deprivation in rural communities? (2) What livelihood resources and institutional processes are necessary for enabling or constraining sustainable livelihoods for different groups? That is, does household livelihood help individuals or families to escape poverty? (3) What are the practical, operational, and policy implications of adopting a sustainable livelihood approach to poverty reduction? Namely, what constitutes a satisfactory basis for adopting a livelihood framework?

The Contribution of Non-Wood Forest Products to Rural Livelihoods in Tunisia: The Case of Aleppo Pine

Research Highlights: Recently, there has been a growing interest in the contribution of Non-Wood Forest Products (NWFPs) to livelihoods and food security among local populations in Tunisia. NWFPs have gained special attention given the relevance of this forest heritage to alleviate poverty and improve household economies. Background and Objectives: This study focuses on determining the contribution of Aleppo pine production to local household livelihood and food security in Tunisia (Siliana province). The relevance of this region as a leading Tunisian Aleppo pine producer makes the analysis especially interesting. Materials and Methods: Data were obtained using structured surveys distributed among rural household heads during the collection season. A logistic regression as well as food security indicators were calculated to evaluate the contribution of NWFPs to household livelihood. Results: Empirical findings support evidence that there is a significant difference between the alternative sources of revenues. The collection of Aleppo pine was significantly affected by gender, attending extension days and agricultural training program, distance to market, household size and livestock activity. Conclusions: Aleppo pine plays an important role in supporting rural livelihoods and provides an important safety net for the local population throughout the year.

Community Training and Sensitization as a Flood Mitigation Strategy Influencing Household Livelihood in NyandoFlood Plains, Kisumu County

The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence community participation in training and sensitization on household livelihood in Kano Plains in Nyando Sub-County, Kisumu County. The study adopted descriptive survey design and targeted household heads in Nyando plains, village elders and chiefs of the locations under study, local government authority representatives, District Disaster management officer representative in Nyando and the NGOs. A sample size of 385 was sufficient for a target population of 11,050. Multistage sampling was used to sample locations and sub locations while proportional sampling was used to sample the number of selected household where the households were grouped into different classifications. The sample size was 370 household heads plus 15 officers were working in Nyando flood plains. Purposive sampling was used to identify the 4 village elders and 4 chiefs, 1 Sub-County Local Authority Management Officer who represented the government, 1 Disaster Management Officer, and 5 managers from the NGOs. Questionnaires for household heads and interview schedules key informants were used for primary data collection. The study found that majority of the households had never attended training and sensitization programmes concerning floods with 42.1% and that the training and sensitization received was not of high quality (60.6%).The study found a strong positive correlation R = 0.582 which was statistically significant as p<0.01 (p < 0.001) between community participation in training and sensitization and household livelihood and that community participation in training and sensitization accounts up to 33.8% (R2 = .338) of variance in the outcome. The study concluded that community participation in training and sensitization influenced household livelihood. However, trainings and sensitization programmes were not regularly done due to financial constraints to facilitate the trainings.The study recommends that more training and sensitization should be conducted to the communities in flood prone areas on how to mitigate floods to ensure improvement of their household livelihood.

Factors Affecting the Level of Rural Households Livelihood Diversification in Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Livelihood diversification is enchanting a significant effect in generating household’s income. The livelihood diversification includes:on-farm, non-farm and off-farm strategies which are undertaken to get extra income and moderate hazard and insecurity. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors affecting the level of rural household livelihood diversification in Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia. The study was conducted by using a cross-sectional research design. It is a quantitative dominant concurrent mixed research methodology where the qualitative research is complemented with interpretations and triangulation. By applying multi-stage random sampling technique, a sample size of 400 household heads from 6 sample villages was selected and data were collected using interview schedule and via key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Descriptive statistics were analyzed and presented by using tables, graphs and figures while chi-square-test and F-test were employed to make statistical inferences. Tobit model was employed to identify the intensity of factors affecting of rural household’s livelihood diversification. Out of the 14 hypothesized explanatory variables, 6 variables namely age, education, access to extension, media access, distance to urban centers and training were found to have significant effect in rural household livelihood diversification decision. Therefore, the findings of this imply that rural households’ development policies should consider these factors in designing rural household livelihood diversification strategy.

Improving household livelihood associated with financial investment decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case study in Vietnam

financial literacy, financial investment, household financial, livelihood, Vietnam