Rural development program in tribal region: A protocol for adaptation and addressing climate change vulnerability

Vulnerability Assessment of Forest Fringe Villages of Madhya Pradesh, India for Planning Adaptation Strategies

“…The findings of this study are similar to those of Hahn et al [35], who reported that a household's livelihood options determine its vulnerability to climate change. Jha et al [13], too, observed that the change in livelihood options impacted vulnerability in the same region. Therefore, rural development programs aimed at enhancing the livelihood of households should be promoted in forest fringe villages for vulnerability reduction, as also recommended in other similar studies [13,44].…”

“…Exposure cannot be altered much at the household level as it is a climatic variation; however, the adaptive capacity and sensitivity of people can be improved to help them cope with the climatic vulnerability and reduce the impact of exposure [11]. Moreover, the data on climate variables are at the macro level; study at the micro-level has used adaptive capacity alone to assess the vulnerability [12,13]. Adaptive capacity refers to relatively longer-term or more sustainable adjustments that can modify a system's sensitivity and exposure to a disturbance [14].…”

“…The differences in vulnerability are attributable to substantial variations in orography, climate conditions, and ecosystems, as well as differences in the social structures, economic status, and requirements of different communities. Various adaptation actions have been implemented to strengthen the adaptive capacity of vulnerable communities [13]. Moreover, the communities living in villages (approx.…”

“…Climate change is likely to impact Indian forests [23], which in turn will affect the livelihoods of the forest fringe villages. Moreover, the ability of these forest fringe poor to enhance their coping ability is constrained by a range of related structural, social, economic, and institutional barriers, which entails the need to assess the vulnerability and identify the drivers of vulnerability of these communities to design suitable adaptation strategies [13].In this regard, the current study intended to understand the impact of climate change by evaluating the vulnerability of forest fringe communities in the Hoshangabad and Mandla districts of Madhya Pradesh. The state has the highest forest cover and the most forest villages, along with a sizeable tribal population, and is a known pocket of poverty [24].…”

“…Climate change is likely to impact Indian forests [23], which in turn will affect the livelihoods of the forest fringe villages. Moreover, the ability of these forest fringe poor to enhance their coping ability is constrained by a range of related structural, social, economic, and institutional barriers, which entails the need to assess the vulnerability and identify the drivers of vulnerability of these communities to design suitable adaptation strategies [13].…”