Climate shocks and food insecurity: Are Burkinabè households resilient in the face of various disruptions?

Abstract

In response to climate change and international economic crises, which exacerbate the vulnerability of populations in developing countries to various disturbances and shocks, resilience is proposed as a programmatic solution to prevent the deterioration of food security and well-being. This study aims to measure and analyze Burkina Faso households’ resilience to food insecurity during periods of climatic shock and stress. Drawing on the literature concerning the notion of resilience and its conceptualization, we assessed a resilience structure based on three pillars: absorption, adaptation, and transformation. The data used come from the Harmonized Survey of Household Living Conditions conducted in 2018 by Burkina Faso’s National Institute of Statistics and Demography, covering 7,020 households across the country. Statistical analysis, based on structural equation models, revealed that all three pillars are significant in explaining the level of household resilience, measured by a standardized index ranging from 0 to 1. Based on this scale, the average resilience index was estimated at 0.3985 at the national level and exhibited significant differences across regions and socioeconomic factors. Thus, the average resilience index is lower in rural areas compared to urban areas, and similarly, households headed by women exhibit lower resilience levels relative to those headed by men. Furthermore, the resilience capacity index and food security indicators show statistically significant negative correlations with idiosyncratic and systemic disturbances reported, suggesting that their occurrence could have negative impacts on households. One of the key findings is that strengthening the pillars positively impacts social well-being. Therefore, we recommend that development policies focus on supporting households in diversifying income sources, improving access to essential social services, developing supportive economic infrastructure, and enhancing social safety nets to increase the resilience of vulnerable households.