2013 Volume 4 Issue 2 Pages 89-97
The study proposes an indicator-based analysis on the vulnerability of agricultural production to flood issues in a river catchment area. The study site is the Sangkae River catchment area located in the Northwestern region of Cambodia and the unit of observation is the commune. Flood hazards are not restricted to the downstream lowland Tonle Sap plain; the study also considers river overflow and run-off flood events occurring upstream in Sangkae River catchment. We address the concept of vulnerability in three dimensions (exposure, sensitivity and adaptation capacity) and operationalize it in a multi-level analytical framework.We first identify indicators relevant with each of the three dimensions of vulnerability. We then combine the standardized and weighted indicators into composite exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity indexes, which we analyze statistically and spatially with a geographic information system. We further integrate the indicators in a hierarchical cluster analysis to establish a typology of commune vulnerability across the catchment. The results of the study showed the link between the vulnerability of agriculture to flood and the different farming systems of rural communities.
