Vulnerability in Drylands Today

Abstract

Defines vulnerability and resilience in a way that makes the two concepts easily measurable: (1) people exposed to droughts and other shocks, or people living in dryland areas; (2) people sensitive to drought, or the share of people dependent on agriculture; and (3) people unable to cope with the effects of droughts and other shocks, or the proportion of exposed and sensitive people living below the international poverty line of US$1.25 per person per day. Estimating vulnerability across livelihood strategies in 2010 found the approximately 171 million people living in African drylands and dependent on agriculture included about 26 million pastoralists (livestock-keeping only), 105 million agro-pastoralists (mixed livestock-crop production), and 40 million crop farmers (crop production only). Political economy factors affecting resilience, especially uneven distributions of wealth and power, can lead to the marginalization of many dryland groups, which can lead to skewed distribution of social services, particularly for human health and education.