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CLIMATE ADAPTATION

Anti-poverty programmes build resilience

Nature Climate Change volume 12, pages 612–613 (2022)Cite this article

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The world’s poorest households, who often depend on agricultural incomes, are increasingly vulnerable to weather-induced shocks. A recent study shows how anti-poverty programmes can help to protect both consumption and income when exposed to shocks.

Improving resilience is particularly important because not only do poor rural households have limited options for coping, they also have limited tools for risk management. The risk of future shocks can keep people poor by discouraging investment in assets and activities that would, on average, improve incomes. Instead, evidence suggests that households invest in lower-risk activities offering lower returns4. Recent innovations in agricultural insurance utilizing low-cost, high-resolution satellite-based vegetation and rainfall data are promising, but demand has been consistently low5 and product quality is highly variable6. Alternatively, households may choose to diversify income through planting multiple crops, or by allocating labour to other non-agricultural activities7.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Sarah Janzen

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  1. Sarah Janzen
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Correspondence to Sarah Janzen.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Janzen, S. Anti-poverty programmes build resilience. Nat. Clim. Chang. 12, 612–613 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01408-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01408-3

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