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Provisioning Capacity: A Critical Component of Vulnerability and Resilience Under Chronic Volcanic Eruptions

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Abstract

Using the cascade of effects model, this chapter discusses the impacts chronic hazard conditions can have on environment, economy, social capital, and health. In particular, this chapter investigates these impacts through the lens of provisioning capacity in order to understand the vulnerability and resilience of the populations. Looking specifically at two separate sites in Ecuador that are chronically affected by an active volcano, researchers used questionnaire surveys, key personnel interviews, focus groups, and health records to study the impacts of this hazard including personal experience, damage/loss, perceptions, provisioning, and health. Results show a direct line of impact from the volcano to provisioning capacity and to health, showing that an increased ability to provide food led to better health and a reduced perception of risk. The authors argue this can ultimately mitigate individual vulnerability and facilitate community resilience. In this chapter, provisioning capacity relates to a household’s ability to provide itself with adequate food and water and can be seen as both a measure of vulnerability and resilience and an influence on associated outcomes such as physical and psychological health. Included in this measure are variables related to both capacity (at the time of the survey) and a perceived change in capacity over the impact period. The authors conclude with an assessment of the model employed and recommendations for future changes to the model to make it more responsive to temporal as well as spatial changes occurring at the level of the population being studied during an ongoing disaster.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Environment and Planning, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Graham A. Tobin

  2. Department of Anthropology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Linda M. Whiteford

Authors
  1. Graham A. Tobin
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  2. Linda M. Whiteford
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Correspondence to Graham A. Tobin .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of History, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, 5020, Austria

    Katrin Pfeifer

  2. Center for Mathematical Philosophy, Ludwig Maxmilian University, Munich, 80539, Germany

    Niki Pfeifer

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Tobin, G.A., Whiteford, L.M. (2013). Provisioning Capacity: A Critical Component of Vulnerability and Resilience Under Chronic Volcanic Eruptions. In: Pfeifer, K., Pfeifer, N. (eds) Forces of Nature and Cultural Responses. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5000-5_8

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