Livelihood Vulnerability Index: Gender Dimension to Climate Change and Variability in REDD + Piloted Sites, Cross River State, Nigeria

Adeniyi Okanlawon Basiru, Abiodun Olusegun Oladoye, Olubusayo Omotola Adekoya, Lucas Aderemi Akomolede, Vincent Onguso Oeba, Opeyemi Oluwaseun Awodutire, Fredrick Charity and Emmanuel Kolawole Abodunrin
Additional contact information
Adeniyi Okanlawon Basiru: Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, College of Environment Resources Management, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta PMB 2240, Ogun State, Nigeria
Abiodun Olusegun Oladoye: Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, College of Environment Resources Management, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta PMB 2240, Ogun State, Nigeria
Olubusayo Omotola Adekoya: Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan PMB 5054, Oyo State, Nigeria
Lucas Aderemi Akomolede: Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan PMB 5054, Oyo State, Nigeria
Vincent Onguso Oeba: Climate Change Department, Kenya Forestry Research Institute, Muguga off Nairobi-Nakuru Highway, Nairobi County P.O. Box 20412-00200, Kenya
Opeyemi Oluwaseun Awodutire: Department of Forestry Technology, Oyo State College of Agriculture, Igboora PMB 10, Oyo State, Nigeria
Fredrick Charity: Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Port Harcourt, East/West Road, Choba PMB 5323, River State, Nigeria
Emmanuel Kolawole Abodunrin: Department of Forestry Technology, Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan PMB 5054, Oyo State, Nigeria

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 8, 1-34

Abstract: Vulnerability to climate change and variability impacts has been identified as a major cog in the wheel of both livelihood and resilience, particularly in vulnerable groups in rural areas. This study aims to assess genders’ vulnerability dimension to climate change and variability in REDD + (Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation+) piloted site/clusters, Cross River State, Nigeria. Data were proportionately collected from selected 200 respondents on gender disaggregated level using questionnaires. The assessment adopted the sustainable livelihood approach (livelihood vulnerability index) and compared the results with the IPCC vulnerability standard of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity weighted mean. The results revealed a significant difference in the vulnerability dimension of both women and men disaggregated levels (LVI: men 0.509, women 0.618). The women category was more vulnerable to six out of seven major components of LVI assessed: (livelihood strategies (0.646), social networks (0.364), water (0.559), health (0.379), food and nutrition (0.507), and natural hazards and climate variability (0.482), while men only vulnerable to socio-demographic major component (0.346). Vulnerability indices also showed women to be more exposed (0.482), and sensitive (0.489) with the least adaptive capacities (0.462) to the climate change and variability impacts. Overall, on the IPCC-LVI index, women are more vulnerable (0.0098) to climate change and variability impacts than men (−0.0093). The study recommends that the women’s category resilience and adaptive capacity should be empowered in adaptation projects in climate change such as REDD + (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation+) to reduce their vulnerability to impacts of climate change and variability in the context of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacities. This will be instrumental in formulating policies to address the specific needs of gender categories in reducing vulnerability to climate change and variability. This pragmatic approach may be used to monitor gender vulnerability dimension, and livelihood enhancement and evaluate potential climate change adaptation programs. Additionally, the introduction of IPCC-LVI as a baseline instrument will enhance information on gender resilience and adaptive capacity for policy effectiveness in a data-scarce region particularly Africa.

Keywords: livelihood; exposure; sensitivity; adaptive; capacity; index (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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