A Combined Analysis of Sociological and Farm Management Factors Affecting Household Livelihood Vulnerability to Climate Change in Rural Burundi

Risper Nyairo, Takashi Machimura and Takanori Matsui
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Risper Nyairo: Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Japan
Takashi Machimura: Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Japan
Takanori Matsui: Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Japan

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 10, 1-20

Abstract: This paper analyzed the livelihood vulnerability of households in two communes using socio-economic data, where one site is a climate analogue of the other under expected future climate change. The analysis was undertaken in order to understand local variability in the vulnerability of communities and how it can be addressed so as to foster progress towards rural adaptation planning. The study identified sources of household livelihood vulnerability by exploring human and social capitals, thus linking the human subsystem with existing biophysical vulnerability studies. Selected relevant variables were used in Factor Analysis on Mixed Data (FAMD), where the first eight dimensions of FAMD contributed most variability to the data. Clustering was done based on the eight dimensions, yielding five clusters with a mix of households from the two communes. Results showed that Cluster 3 was least vulnerable due to a greater proportion of households having adopted farming practices that enhance food and water availability. Households in the other clusters will need to make appropriate changes to reduce their vulnerability. Findings show that when analyzing rural vulnerability, rather than broadly looking at spatial climatic and farm management differences, social factors should also be investigated, as they can exert significant policy implications.

Keywords: questionnaire survey; climate analogues; Factor Analysis on Mixed Data (FAMD); clustering; education; farm management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:10:p:4296-:d:362381

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