A gendered perspective of vulnerability to multiple stressors, including climate change, in the rural Eastern Cape, South Africa

Shackleton, Sheona; Cobban, Leigh; Cundill, Georgina

doi:10.1080/10130950.2014.932560

Cited by 11 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Bunce et al found that government policies controlling water flows in upstream dams, the designation of conservation areas, and the expansion of urban development and tourism all worked as barriers to adaptation among poor coastal communities in Tanzania and Mozambique. Political short‐termism makes it hard to plan for longer term changes in climate . Linked to this, Conway and Schipper suggest that discourses and policies that take a disaster‐focused, short‐term view of climate variability and that focus on transient food insecurity and relief can act as a barrier to a longer term perspective that emphasizes sustainable adaptation, livelihood security, and resilience.…”

Section: Governance and Approaches To Planned Adaptationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Communities themselves often do not distinguish between the stressors that impact their livelihoods and the factors that prevent them from responding to shocks and risk. 31 Biesbroek et al (p. 1119) argue that the list of possible barriers is 'seemingly endless'. 11 Further complicating this story are the heterogeneous ways in which barriers operate in different contexts and the cumulative effects of barriers across scales.…”

Section: Setting the Scene: Background Concepts And Complexities Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Why is socially‐just climate change adaptation in sub‐Saharan Africa so challenging? A review of barriers identified from empirical cases

Shackleton

Ziervogel

Sallu

et al. 2015

WIREs Climate Change

Self Cite

176

129

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To enhance understanding of the process of climate change adaptation and to facilitate the planning and implementation of sustainable adaptation strategies deeper consideration of the factors that impede adaptation is required. Barriers to climate change adaptation are, consequently, being increasingly reported. But, despite this progress, knowledge of barriers that hamper adaptation in developing countries remains limited, especially in relation to underlying causes of vulnerability and low adaptive capacity. To further improve understanding of barriers to adaptation and identify gaps in the state-of-the-art knowledge, we undertook a synthesis of empirical literature from sub-Saharan Africa focusing on vulnerable, natural resource dependent communities and livelihoods. Our review illustrates that: 1) local level studies that reveal barriers to adaptation are diverse, although there is a propensity for studies on small-holder farmers; 2) many of the studies identify several barriers to adaptation, but appreciation of their interactions and compounded impacts remains scarce; and 3) most of the barriers uncovered relate broadly to biophysical, knowledge and financial constraints on agricultural production and rural development. More hidden and under-acknowledged political, social and psychological barriers are rarely mentioned, unless captured in studies that specifically set out to investigate these. We finish our review by highlighting gaps in understanding and by suggesting future research directions, focussing on issues of social justice. We argue that research on barriers needs to start asking why these barriers emerge, how they work together to shape adaptation processes, who they affect most, and what is needed to overcome them.

show abstract

Section: Governance and Approaches To Planned Adaptationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Setting the Scene: Background Concepts And Complexities Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why is socially‐just climate change adaptation in sub‐Saharan Africa so challenging? A review of barriers identified from empirical cases

Shackleton

Ziervogel

Sallu

et al. 2015

WIREs Climate Change

Self Cite

176

129

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Generally, family members may assist in preventing destitution, but usually cannot do much more because they also lack resources (Table 8) [62]. A general decline in social capital was identified in our study sites [30], although female-headed households seemed to have more social capital than those headed by men [32].…”

Section: Erosion Of Social Capitalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Men often left the interviews to the women in the household. For some analyses, we disaggregated the data by gender structure (based on the sex of household head and adult members) and wealth categories (see [32]). These data provided a holistic picture of household income shares, livelihood activities and community and household assets.…”

Section: Approach and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, the grant system puts money in the hands of some but not others. Interestingly, in our study sites it was only young males, especially those living alone, who were food insecure [32]. Dubbeld [49] further writes about how some of his informants perceived grants as "socially corrosive," destroying family values, morals and traditions such as marriage, absolving men of their parental responsibilities and contributing to disrespect of elders by the youth.…”

Section: Unemployment Declining Remittances and Less Cashmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Changing Livelihoods and Landscapes in the Rural Eastern Cape, South Africa: Past Influences and Future Trajectories

Shackleton

Luckert

2015

Land

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper seeks to understand the drivers and pathways of local livelihood change and the prospects for transformation towards a more sustainable future. Data are used from several studies, and a participatory social learning process, which formed part of a larger project in two sites in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Secondary information from a wealth of related work is used to place our results within the historic context and more general trends in the country. Findings indicate that livelihoods in the rural Eastern Cape are on new trajectories. Agricultural production has declined markedly, at a time when the need for diversification of livelihoods and food security seems to be at a premium. This decline is driven by a suite of drivers that interact with, and are influenced by, other changes and stresses affecting local livelihoods. We distil out the factors, ranging from historical processes to national policies and local dynamics, that hamper peoples' motivation and ability to respond to locally identified vulnerabilities and, which, when taken together, could drive households into a trap. We end by considering the transformations required to help local people evade traps and progress towards a more promising future in a context of increasing uncertainty.

show abstract

Women, Weather, and Woes: The Triangular Dynamics of Female-Headed Households, Economic Vulnerability, and Climate Variability in South Africa

2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A gendered perspective of vulnerability to multiple stressors, including climate change, in the rural Eastern Cape, South Africa

Cited by 11 publications

References 20 publications

Why is socially‐just climate change adaptation in sub‐Saharan Africa so challenging? A review of barriers identified from empirical cases

Why is socially‐just climate change adaptation in sub‐Saharan Africa so challenging? A review of barriers identified from empirical cases

Changing Livelihoods and Landscapes in the Rural Eastern Cape, South Africa: Past Influences and Future Trajectories

Women, Weather, and Woes: The Triangular Dynamics of Female-Headed Households, Economic Vulnerability, and Climate Variability in South Africa

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About