Assessing agricultural household vulnerability to climate change: A case study in Chau Thanh district, Ben Tre province, Vietnam
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Abstract
Climate change significantly impacts the livelihoods of agricultural households, increasing their vulnerability. This study developed 49 indicators grouped into 12 main components to assess the livelihood vulnerability index (LVI) of agricultural households in Chau Thanh district, Ben Tre province. Using data from a survey of 300 farm households, complemented by secondary data on climate factors, a composite index was calculated to compare variations in vulnerability across the region. The overall LVI for Chau Thanh district was 0.32, indicating moderate vulnerability. Among the 12 main components, livelihood strategies, land, water, natural disasters and climate variability, and finance and income were identified as the most vulnerable dimensions, whereas housing was the least vulnerable. Using the LVI developed based on the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) framework, Giao Long commune was found to be more vulnerable than the other communes. To address these challenges, solutions based on the human, natural, and financial capitals of the livelihood efficiency index (LEI) were proposed. These solutions aim to enhance the adaptive capacity of agricultural households while mitigating the impacts of climate change, thereby fostering sustainable livelihoods in the district.
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References
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