2005 年 60 巻 5 号 p. 397-402
The objectives of this paper are to understand how vulnerable farm households in Southern Mali with limited capabilities manage climate risks. Based on their assets and risk perceptions, farmers set their management objectives and allocate their assets in response to risks. Risk management decisions made in the short term affect households’ vulnerability in the long term. The regional research/development organization has classified farm households into four types, A, B, C and D, based on assets for animal traction, but farmers indicated that these categories are not homogenous. A framework was developed to characterize farmers’ vulnerability using the number of months the food production of the household was able to cover. Four categories of farmers were identified: 1) high food surplus (≥12 months stock), 2) low food surplus (6-<12 months stock), food sufficient (2-<6 months stock), and food deficient (<2 months stock). A vulnerability profile of A, B, C and D farm household was developed. Farm households’ assets, activities, and climate risk management strategies affected the vulnerability profile of each type. For effective public intervention in reducing farm household vulnerability, risk and vulnerability can be understood as “risk chain” consisting of 1) risks, 2) risk management, and 3) risk impacts.
