Climate resilience and poverty reduction in Africa

As climate shocks become more frequent across East and Southern Africa, building resilience is critical to reducing poverty and improving wellbeing.

In this episode of the IDS Between the Lines podcast, researchers from the Chronic Poverty Advisory Network discuss new evidence on how households can better cope with climate crises and why integrated support is key to achieving lasting escapes from poverty.

Joining the podcast is: Vidya Diwakar, IDS Senior Research Fellow and the Deputy Director of the Chronic Poverty Advisory Network; Brian Mulenga, Executive Director for the Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute; Anderson Gondwe, Research Fellow at the MWAPATA Institute, Malawi and Judith Kahamba, Department of Development and Strategic Studies, Sokoine University of Agriculture.

The findings, published in a special issue of the IDS Bulletin: Climate Resilience and Poverty Reduction highlights a growing recognition that climate change and poverty can no longer be treated as separate challenges.

The researchers - drawing on evidence from Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and other countries - found that climate shocks such as droughts, floods, heatwaves and crop diseases disproportionately affect poor households, often pushing already vulnerable communities deeper into poverty. The Experts argue that while poverty reduction can strengthen resilience by helping households build assets and improve livelihoods, resilience-building measures are equally important in preventing families from falling into poverty when climate shocks occur.

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