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Livelihood Cycle and Vulnerability of Rural Households to Climate Change and Hazards in Bangladesh

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Abstract

Rural riverine households in Bangladesh are confronted with many climate-driven hazards, including riverbank erosion, which results in loss of productive land and other natural resources of the riverine households, and thus threatens their livelihoods and food security. This study assesses the main drivers of vulnerability and livelihood cycle of vulnerable riparian households in Bangladesh. The study utilises the IPCC framework of vulnerability and develops a weighted approach by employing the livelihood vulnerability index and the climate vulnerability index. The results reveal that the livelihood vulnerability index and the climate vulnerability index differ across locations, however, a high index value for both measures indicates the households’ high livelihood vulnerability to climate change and hazards. The main drivers that influence the vulnerability dimensions are livelihood strategies and access to food, water and health facilities. These hazard-prone households are also vulnerable due to their existing low livelihood status that leads to a vicious cycle of poverty. The findings of this study are crucial for policymakers to formulate and implement effective strategies and programs to minimise vulnerability and to enhance the local adaptation processes in order to improve such households’ livelihood across Bangladesh.

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Notes

  1. Bangladesh is only 147,570 km2 area in South Asia with a population density of about 936 persons/km2 and more than 35% of people live under the poverty line (income < than $2 a day) (BBS 2012).

  2. About 156.6 million people in 2014 (BBS 2014).

  3. Lower administrative unit of government; below district level but above village level.

  4. Bangladesh is composed of the floodplains and deltas of three main rivers, the Padma (Ganges in India), the Jamuna and the Meghna (Brahmaputra in India).

  5. Unavailability of respondents or refusal to answer questions were mainly by the female-headed households, which cover less than 2% of the actual samples.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the University of Southern Queensland, Australia for funding the research (H13REA244).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Commerce, Faculty of Business, Education, Law & Arts, University of Southern Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

    G. M. Monirul Alam

  2. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh

    G. M. Monirul Alam

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Correspondence to G. M. Monirul Alam.

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Alam, G.M.M. Livelihood Cycle and Vulnerability of Rural Households to Climate Change and Hazards in Bangladesh. Environmental Management 59, 777–791 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-017-0826-3

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