Unraveling climate change vulnerability and adaptation in flood-affected communities of northern Bangladesh: A multidimensional poverty perspective

Abstract

This article focuses on the climate change vulnerability and adaptation among flood-affected communities in Bangladesh from a multidimensional poverty perspective. The study was conducted in the Kaijuri and Sadia Chandpur Union areas of Shahjadpur and Chauhali Upazila in Sirajganj, a region known for frequent floods and river erosion. The research examines three main areas: climate change vulnerability, multidimensional poverty, and adaptation strategies. The study surveyed 385 households from six major communities in the two Unions. Climate change vulnerability was measured using a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) based weighting approach, considering nineteen indicators across seven principal components. The vulnerability extent was categorized into low, moderate, and high vulnerability, with 32.21% of households classified as highly vulnerable, 14.03% as low vulnerable, and the rest as moderately vulnerable. Kaijuri Union, being more agricultural and vulnerable (37.04%), contrasted with Sadia Chandpur (27.55%). The analysis revealed that social factors (social capital, human capital) had a more decisive influence on vulnerability than physical factors (non-productive asset value, infrastructure, flood frequency). Adaptation strategies, particularly in agriculture, were more significant in the highly vulnerable Kaijuri Union. The study also identified four clusters of co-existing multidimensional poverty index (MPI) and climate change vulnerability index. The ‘worst-case’ category represented households that were MPI poor with high vulnerability (23.90%), whereas the ‘best-case’ represented MPI non-poor with low vulnerability (24.16%). The remaining households were either MPI non-poor with high vulnerability (26.75%) or poor with low vulnerability (25.19%). The adaptation strategies of the worst-case households included early planting andearly harvesting as agricultural adaptations, and house relocation as non-agricultural adaptation. In contrast, the best-case households practiced various crop varieties, crop rotation, and homestead farming among agricultural adaptations. They invested in repairing, reinforcing, or rebuilding their houses with sturdy materials, among non-agricultural adaptations. The findings highlight the need to prioritize vulnerable rural marginal farmers in flood-affected communities in Bangladesh. This research can aid stakeholders, including local government, NGOs, and central government organizations, in planning effective climate vulnerability, adaptation, and poverty eradication strategies. Differentiating communities based on vulnerability and multidimensional poverty can facilitate targeted and efficient beneficiary selection and speed up recovery during crises.