Microfinance Gateway>The Impact of Drought on Household Vulnerability: The Case of Rural Malawi

affiliate language sites: Français عربي Español

Home

Library

Jobs

Training and Events

Organizations

Consultants

Library » The Impact of Drought on Household Vulnerability: The Case of Rural Malawi

The Impact of Drought on Household Vulnerability: The Case of Rural Malawi
Jul 2008, Makoka, D.

Analyzing coping mechanisms employed by households to deal with drought

This study analyzes the impact of drought on household vulnerability using a two-period panel dataset of 259 rural households in Malawi. It defines vulnerability as expected poverty, and employs the methodology proposed by Christiaensen and Subbarao (2004).

The paper shows that rural households in Malawi experienced multiple shocks between 1999 and 2006, with drought remaining the most prominent shock in both survey rounds. Study findings include:

Recurrent droughts are associated with higher levels of vulnerability to poverty;
Rural households depend on safety net programs to cope with drought;
Targeted direct welfare transfers should be promoted as a short-term intervention to help poor households smooth their consumption;
Social protection interventions should go beyond direct welfare transfers to incorporate productivity-enhancing safety nets;
Government of Malawi's agricultural input subsidy program should be encouraged as a short-term strategy.

The paper states that in the long-term, small and medium scale irrigation schemes must be promoted to enhance food crop production. Irrigation would contribute towards reducing overall dependence on rain-fed agriculture. Weather-indexed insurance should also be promoted.

Add Review


*First Name:		*Last Name:
Organization:
*Email:
*Country:
(rollover stars to select rating)
Review Title:

Review Text:
I do not want my name, email, or organization to appear with my review. (Country will always appear with posted reviews.)

By clicking "Submit" you confirm that you have read and consent to our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

Download this Document

Journal Volume/Pages:
24

Publisher(s):
Munich Personal RePEc Archive