Characterizing Rural Households’ Livelihood Vulnerability to Climate Change and Extremes in Migori River Watershed, Kenya
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Date
2023
Authors
Opiyo, Stephen Balaka
Letema, Sammy
Opinde, Godwin
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Abstract
Sub-Saharan Africa, of which Kenya is part, is considered the most vulnerable region to climate change
impacts due to its dependence on rain-fed agriculture and natural resources. Since the rural livelihood
systems in Kenya are expected to bear some of the worst effects of climate change, it is imperative to
assess rural households’ vulnerability to climate change impacts to facilitate the development of
adaptation strategies. Therefore, this paper determines the level and sources of households’ livelihood
vulnerability to climate variability in the Migori River watershed, Kenya. The Livelihood Vulnerability
Index (LVI) framed within the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) vulnerability
framework (LVI-IPCC) was applied. A cross-sectional household survey conducted on 318 randomly
selected households was used to assess how vulnerability differs across three watershed zones,
upstream, midstream, and downstream. The LVI-IPCC scores were −0.047, −0.003, and 0.008 for the
upstream, midstream, and downstream zones, respectively, with significant differences noted in the
scores (ANOVA, p < 0.05). Findings indicate that while the livelihoods in all three zones showed
moderate vulnerability to environmental and socio-economic stressors, there are notable variations
between them. The downstream households exhibit the highest vulnerability, attributed to their lower
adaptive capacity, increased exposure, and heightened sensitivity. Conversely, the upstream
households demonstrate the least vulnerability compared to the other zones, owing to their lower
sensitivity and exposure, as well as better adaptive capacity. Policy recommendations for reducing
households’ exposure to climate risks and for strengthening their adaptive capacity are discussed.
Description
article
Keywords
Climate change, rural household livelihoods, livelihood vulnerability index, LVI-IPCC, watershed development
Citation
Stephen Balaka Opiyo, Sammy Letema & Godwin Opinde (2023): Characterizing rural households’ livelihood vulnerability to climate change and extremes in Migori River Watershed, Kenya, Climate and Development, DOI: 10.1080/17565529.2023.2243612