IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/nathaz/v74y2014i2p815-836.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Differential impacts of climate change on communities in the middle hills region of Nepal

Author

Listed:
  • Popular Gentle
  • Rik Thwaites
  • Digby Race
  • Kim Alexander

Abstract

There is a growing understanding that the impacts of climate change affect different communities within a country, in a variety of ways—not always uniformly. This article reports on research conducted in the middle hills region of Nepal that explored climate change vulnerability in terms of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity across different well-being groups, genders of the head of household and household location. In the study region, dry land farming has increasingly experienced climate-induced changes to farm productivity and natural resources. The experience of vulnerability to decreased livelihood options and natural resource hazards due to a changing climate varied according to household wealth and well-being status, with very poor and poor households more vulnerable than medium and well-off households. The research indicates that the climate change adaptation would benefit by considering: (i) differential impacts of vulnerability mainly based on well-being status of households; (ii) understanding of the local socio-political context and underlying causes of vulnerability and its application; and (iii) identifying vulnerable populations for the units of vulnerability analysis and adaptation planning. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Popular Gentle & Rik Thwaites & Digby Race & Kim Alexander, 2014. "Differential impacts of climate change on communities in the middle hills region of Nepal," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 74(2), pages 815-836, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:74:y:2014:i:2:p:815-836
    DOI: 10.1007/s11069-014-1218-0
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s11069-014-1218-0
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11069-014-1218-0?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. W. Neil Adger & Saleemul Huq & Katrina Brown & Declan Conway & Mike Hulme, 2003. "Adaptation to climate change in the developing world," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 3(3), pages 179-195, July.
    2. David Mosse, 1994. "Authority, Gender and Knowledge: Theoretical Reflections on the Practice of Participatory Rural Appraisal," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 25(3), pages 497-526, July.
    3. Paavola, Jouni & Adger, W. Neil, 2005. "Institutional ecological economics," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(3), pages 353-368, May.
    4. Dilley, Maxx & Boudreau, Tanya E., 2001. "Coming to terms with vulnerability: a critique of the food security definition," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 229-247, June.
    5. Karen O'Brien & Siri Eriksen & Lynn P. Nygaard & Ane Schjolden, 2007. "Why different interpretations of vulnerability matter in climate change discourses," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(1), pages 73-88, January.
    6. S. Mansoob Murshed & Scott Gates, 2005. "Spatial–Horizontal Inequality and the Maoist Insurgency in Nepal," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(1), pages 121-134, February.
    7. Barry Smit & Ian Burton & Richard Klein & J. Wandel, 2000. "An Anatomy of Adaptation to Climate Change and Variability," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 45(1), pages 223-251, April.
    8. Ian Scoones, 1995. "Investigating Difference: Applications of Wealth Ranking and Household Survey Approaches among Farming Households in Southern Zimbabwe," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 26(1), pages 67-88, January.
    9. Chambers, Robert, 1994. "Participatory rural appraisal (PRA): Analysis of experience," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 22(9), pages 1253-1268, September.
    10. Neil Adger, W., 1999. "Social Vulnerability to Climate Change and Extremes in Coastal Vietnam," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 249-269, February.
    11. Chambers, Robert, 1994. "Participatory rural appraisal (PRA): Challenges, potentials and paradigm," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 22(10), pages 1437-1454, October.
    12. Adams, Alayne M. & Evans, Timothy G. & Mohammed, Rafi & Farnsworth, Jennifer, 1997. "Socioeconomic stratification by wealth ranking: Is it valid?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 25(7), pages 1165-1172, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Shobha Poudel & Shinya Funakawa & Hitoshi Shinjo & Bhogendra Mishra, 2020. "Understanding households’ livelihood vulnerability to climate change in the Lamjung district of Nepal," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(8), pages 8159-8182, December.
    2. Popular Gentle & Rik Thwaites & Digby Race & Kim Alexander & Tek Maraseni, 2018. "Household and community responses to impacts of climate change in the rural hills of Nepal," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 147(1), pages 267-282, March.
    3. Tricia Glazebrook & Samantha Noll & Emmanuela Opoku, 2020. "Gender Matters: Climate Change, Gender Bias, and Women’s Farming in the Global South and North," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-25, July.
    4. Roopam Shukla & Kamna Sachdeva & P. K. Joshi, 2018. "Demystifying vulnerability assessment of agriculture communities in the Himalayas: a systematic review," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 91(1), pages 409-429, March.
    5. Xue Yang & Shili Guo & Xin Deng & Wei Wang & Dingde Xu, 2021. "Study on Livelihood Vulnerability and Adaptation Strategies of Farmers in Areas Threatened by Different Disaster Types under Climate Change," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-21, November.
    6. Suman, A., 2021. "Role of renewable energy technologies in climate change adaptation and mitigation: A brief review from Nepal," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    7. Samjhana Adhikari & Nabin Dhungana & Suraj Upadhaya, 2020. "Watershed communities’ livelihood vulnerability to climate change in the Himalayas," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 162(3), pages 1307-1321, October.
    8. Anu Susan Sam & Ranjit Kumar & Harald Kächele & Klaus Müller, 2017. "Vulnerabilities to flood hazards among rural households in India," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 88(2), pages 1133-1153, September.
    9. Kumar Bahadur Darjee & Ramesh Kumar Sunam & Michael Köhl & Prem Raj Neupane, 2021. "Do National Policies Translate into Local Actions? Analyzing Coherence between Climate Change Adaptation Policies and Implications for Local Adaptation in Nepal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-32, November.
    10. Roopam Shukla & Ankit Agarwal & Kamna Sachdeva & Juergen Kurths & P. K. Joshi, 2019. "Climate change perception: an analysis of climate change and risk perceptions among farmer types of Indian Western Himalayas," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 152(1), pages 103-119, January.
    11. Kumar Bahadur Darjee & Prem Raj Neupane & Michael Köhl, 2023. "Proactive Adaptation Responses by Vulnerable Communities to Climate Change Impacts," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-30, July.
    12. Nanda Kaji Budhathoki & Douglas Paton & Jonatan A. Lassa & Gopal Datt Bhatta & Kerstin K. Zander, 2020. "Heat, cold, and floods: exploring farmers’ motivations to adapt to extreme weather events in the Terai region of Nepal," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 103(3), pages 3213-3237, September.
    13. Wanying Zhong & Yue Wang, 2022. "A study on the spatial and temporal variation of urban integrated vulnerability in Southwest China," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 114(3), pages 2855-2882, December.
    14. Stéphane Hallegatte & Adrien Vogt-Schilb & Julie Rozenberg & Mook Bangalore & Chloé Beaudet, 2020. "From Poverty to Disaster and Back: a Review of the Literature," Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Springer, vol. 4(1), pages 223-247, April.
    15. Gyanendra Karki & Balram Bhatta & Naba R. Devkota & Ram P. Acharya & Ripu Mardhan Kunwar, 2022. "Climate change adaptation (CCA) research in Nepal: implications for the advancement of adaptation planning," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 27(3), pages 1-13, March.
    16. S. Nazrul Islam & John Winkel, 2017. "Climate Change and Social Inequality," Working Papers 152, United Nations, Department of Economics and Social Affairs.
    17. Baral, Sony & Chhetri, Bir Bahadur Khanal & Baral, Himlal & Vacik, Harald, 2019. "Investments in different taxonomies of goods: What should Nepal's community forest user groups prioritize?," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 24-32.
    18. Saara Ranabhat & Suman Acharya & Suraj Upadhaya & Bikash Adhikari & Ram Thapa & Sadhana Ranabhat & Dev Raj Gautam, 2023. "Climate change impacts and adaptation strategies in watershed areas in mid-hills of Nepal," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 13(2), pages 240-252, June.
    19. Chiranjeewee Khadka & Anju Upadhyaya & Magda Edwards-Jonášová & Nabin Dhungana & Sony Baral & Pavel Cudlin, 2022. "Differential Impact Analysis for Climate Change Adaptation: A Case Study from Nepal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-20, August.
    20. Rishikesh Pandey, 2019. "Farmers’ perception on agro-ecological implications of climate change in the Middle-Mountains of Nepal: a case of Lumle Village, Kaski," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 221-247, February.
    21. Khadka, Chiranjeewee & Aryal, Keshava Prasad & Edwards-Jonášová, Magda & Upadhyaya, Anju & Dhungana, Nabin & Cudlin, Pavel & Vacik, Harald, 2018. "Evaluating participatory techniques for adaptation to climate change: Nepal case study," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 73-82.
    22. Dilshad Ahmad & Malika Kanwal & Muhammad Afzal, 2023. "Climate change effects on riverbank erosion Bait community flood-prone area of Punjab, Pakistan: an application of livelihood vulnerability index," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(9), pages 9387-9415, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Owens, Trudy, 2004. "External Support During the Transition Phase: Roles for Humanitarian Aid and Development Assistance from a Village Perspective," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 32(10), pages 1711-1733, October.
    2. Glyn Williams & Manoj Srivastava & Stuart Corbridge & René Véron, 2003. "Enhancing pro-poor governance in Eastern India: participation, politics and action research," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 3(2), pages 159-178, April.
    3. Popular Gentle & Rik Thwaites & Digby Race & Kim Alexander & Tek Maraseni, 2018. "Household and community responses to impacts of climate change in the rural hills of Nepal," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 147(1), pages 267-282, March.
    4. Schleicher, Michael & Souares, Aurélia & Pacere, Athanase Narangoro & Sauerborn, Rainer & Klonner, Stefan, 2016. "Decentralized versus Statistical Targeting of Anti-Poverty Programs: Evidence from Burkina Faso," Working Papers 0623, University of Heidelberg, Department of Economics.
    5. Mya Sherman & James Ford & Alejandro Llanos-Cuentas & María Valdivia & Alejandra Bussalleu, 2015. "Vulnerability and adaptive capacity of community food systems in the Peruvian Amazon: a case study from Panaillo," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 77(3), pages 2049-2079, July.
    6. Orr, Alastair & Tsusaka, Takuji W. & Kee-Tui, Sabine & Msere, Harry, 2015. "What do we mean by 'women's crops'? Commercialisation, gender, and the power to name," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 212600, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    7. Shobha Poudel & Shinya Funakawa & Hitoshi Shinjo & Bhogendra Mishra, 2020. "Understanding households’ livelihood vulnerability to climate change in the Lamjung district of Nepal," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(8), pages 8159-8182, December.
    8. Barrett, T. & Feola, G. & Krylova, V. & Khusnitdinova, M., 2017. "The application of Rapid Appraisal of Agricultural Innovation Systems (RAAIS) to agricultural adaptation to climate change in Kazakhstan: A critical evaluation," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 106-113.
    9. Yongdeng Lei & Jing’ai Wang & Yaojie Yue & Hongjian Zhou & Weixia Yin, 2014. "Rethinking the relationships of vulnerability, resilience, and adaptation from a disaster risk perspective," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 70(1), pages 609-627, January.
    10. Busby, Joshua & Smith, Todd G. & Krishnan, Nisha & Wight, Charles & Vallejo-Gutierrez, Santiago, 2018. "In harm's way: Climate security vulnerability in Asia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 88-118.
    11. H.M. Tuihedur Rahman & Gordon M. Hickey, 2020. "An Analytical Framework for Assessing Context-Specific Rural Livelihood Vulnerability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-26, July.
    12. Seraina Buob & Gunter Stephan, 2008. "Global Climate Change and the Funding of Adaptation," Diskussionsschriften dp0804, Universitaet Bern, Departement Volkswirtschaft.
    13. Chatterjee, Ira & Cornelissen, Joep & Wincent, Joakim, 2021. "Social entrepreneurship and values work: The role of practices in shaping values and negotiating change," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 36(1).
    14. Chilombo, Andrew & Van Der Horst, Dan, 2021. "Livelihoods and coping strategies of local communities on previous customary land in limbo of commercial agricultural development: Lessons from the farm block program in Zambia," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    15. Gerard Olivar-Tost & Johnny Valencia-Calvo & Julián Andrés Castrillón-Gómez, 2020. "Towards Decision-Making for the Assessment and Prioritization of Green Projects: An Integration between System Dynamics and Participatory Modeling," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-23, December.
    16. Dean Karlan & Bram Thuysbaert, 2019. "Targeting Ultra-Poor Households in Honduras and Peru," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 33(1), pages 63-94.
    17. Danielle Emma Johnson & Karen Fisher & Meg Parsons, 2022. "Diversifying Indigenous Vulnerability and Adaptation: An Intersectional Reading of Māori Women’s Experiences of Health, Wellbeing, and Climate Change," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-40, May.
    18. Piya, Luni & Maharjan, Keshav Lall & Joshi, Niraj Prakash, 2012. "Vulnerability of rural households to climate change and extremes: Analysis of Chepang households in the Mid-Hills of Nepal," 2012 Conference, August 18-24, 2012, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil 126191, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    19. Hargreaves, James R. & Morison, Linda A. & Gear, John S.S. & Makhubele, Mzamani B. & Porter, John D.H. & Busza, Joanna & Watts, Charlotte & Kim, Julia C. & Pronyk, Paul M., 2007. ""Hearing the Voices of the Poor": Assigning Poverty Lines on the Basis of Local Perceptions of Poverty. A Quantitative Analysis of Qualitative Data from Participatory Wealth Ranking in Rural," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 212-229, February.
    20. Palash Kamruzzaman, 2020. "Exploring the Nexus Between Participation and Empowerment," Journal of Development Policy and Practice, , vol. 5(1), pages 32-53, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:74:y:2014:i:2:p:815-836. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.