RURAL BANGLADESH - PreventionWeb

Annex: Conceptual Framework
Figure 1: Vulnerability and Food Security Framework
Key Outcomes
Coping Capacity
Hazards
Changes in
RESOURCE
Management
Strategies
- Natural
- Physical
- Human
Level/Variability
FOOD AVAILABILITY
Physical Asset
Endowment
Physical/
Environmental
Hazards
Changes in
PRODUCTION
Strategies
- Farm
- Non farm
From WFP (2002), derived from Webb, et. al (1993)
Food Security Status/
Vulnerability
102
Level/Variability
FOOD ACCESS
Changes in
INCOME &
PRICE
Levels
- Farm
- Non farm
Infrastructure/Social
Asset Endowment
Market and
Entitlement
Hazards
Changes in
CONSUMPTION
Levels
- Food
- Nonfood
Level/Variability
FOOD UTILIZATION
Changes in
NUTRITION
Outcomes
- Child
- Adult
Human Asset Endowment
Nutrition and Health
Hazards
Ultimately, the vulnerability of a household or community is determined by their ability to cope with
their exposure to the risk posed by such shocks. All individuals, households, and communities, or
even nations, face multiple hazards/risks from different sources. Risks often cannot be prevented and
if they materialize they negatively impact individuals, households, and communities in an
unpredictable manner. The ability to manage the risks associated with shocks is determined largely
on household and community characteristics, most notably their asset base and the livelihood and
food security strategies they pursue. Access to assets (natural, economic, social, human and political)
is particularly important in determining which populations or groups are vulnerable to potential
shocks (Heitzmann et al. 2002, TANGO 2004a, 2004b).
Often, coping behavior involves activities such as the sale of land or other productive assets, the
cutting of trees for sale as firewood or, in an extreme example, the sale of girls into prostitution.
These practices undermine, not only the long-term productive potential of vulnerable households, but
may also undermine important social institutions and relationships. The extent of reliance on these
more destructive practices is a further indicator of levels of vulnerability during a crisis (WFP: VAM
2002).
Two additional concepts that need to be taken into account in an analysis of risk and vulnerability are
sensitivity and resilience. Sensitivity relates to the magnitude of the individual, household or
community response to the external risky event. For example, those households with limited assets
are more likely to be greatly impacted by a given shock as compared to those households with more
assets. Resilience refers to the ability of a livelihood system to bounce back from stress or shocks.